The panel finely carved and pierced depicting a smiling scholar under a pine tree and amidst rocks, looking up to a crane in mid-flight, set among billowing clouds. The literatus is shown in traditional Ming dynasty robes, contemplating in nature in the presence of a crane, the Daoist symbol for longevity and peace.
A reticulated boxwood ‘scholar and crane’ panel (late Ming/early Qing dynasty, 17th/18th century)
Description
Dimensions: 13cm high
Provenance:
Acquired by captain André Le Gac (1895-1960) in China in the 1920s, thence by descent.
The panel finely carved and pierced depicting a smiling scholar under a pine tree and amidst rocks, looking up to a crane in mid-flight, set among billowing clouds.
The literatus is shown in traditional Ming dynasty robes, contemplating in nature in the presence of a crane, the Daoist symbol for longevity and peace.
