A RARE 'BURNT' JADE CARVING OF A DEER 17th/18th century (3)THE PROPERTY OF A BRITISH FAMILY 英國家族藏品A RARE 'BURNT' JADE CARVING OF A DEER17th/18th centuryThe recumbent animal finely carved with pricked ears aimed forward, a long spray of auspicious lingzhi fungus clasped in its jaws, its legs neatly folded and tucked underneath the plump body, the stone of cloudy white tone with grey patches and pinkish inclusions, wood stand, box. 10cm (4in) long. (3).十七/十八世紀 鹿銜靈芝玉擺件Provenance: Spink & Son Ltd., LondonJoseph (1938-2005) and Bella (1941-2011) Shapiro, acquired from the above on 12 December 1985, and thence by descent 來源：倫敦古董商Spink & Son Ltd.Joseph Shapiro (1938-2005)和 Bella Shapiro (1941-2011)在1985年12月12日從上處購得，並由後人保存迄今Deer have a number of auspicious meanings in Chinese culture. Shoulao, the Star God of Longevity, is usually depicted accompanied by a spotted deer, crane, peach and pine tree. Thus each of these, including the deer, has come to represent long life. Deer are also believed to be the only animals that can find the fungus of Immortality. The Chinese word for deer (lu 鹿), sounds like the word for emolument or an official salary (lu 祿), thus deer are symbolic of the rank and wealth that are associated with such a salary. The word for deer is also a homophone for 'road' and for 'six'. Thus two deer suggest two auspicious phrases: Lulu shunli, 'May all roads be smooth', and Liuliu dashun, 'May everything be smooth sailing'.Compare with a related green jade carving of a deer holding a lingzhi, Ming dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol.6, Beijing, 2011, p.242, no.243.Compare with a yellow jade carving of a deer, 18th century, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 November 2017, lot 3059.sold_price_type: £