A white and russet jade 'twin-rabbit' group


18th centuryThe two animals carved side by side, one with its head raised resting on the other's back and holding a leafy lingzhi spray in its mouth continuing underneath their bodies, the other with its head lowered, with characteristic elongated heads set with long ears incised at the edges, the legs well-defined underneath, the stone of white tone with russet inclusions cleverly used to denote the fur, box. 5.1cm (2in) wide (2).
|十八世紀 白玉雕雙兔Provenance:Durwin Tang Collection來源：鄧德雍收藏The subject matter of rabbit or hare, associated with making the 'elixir of life' for the moon goddess Chang'e, as well as being one of the twelve Zodiac animals, was popular in the Qing Court. The lingzhi fungus of immortality is representative of the wish for long life.Compare a related white jade 'twin-rabbit' paper weight, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 June 2015, lot 3345.嫦娥偷食仙丹後攜玉兔奔月，故玉兔也隨之長生不老，又為十二生肖之一，因而其形象在清宮流行有時。同樣，靈芝仙草亦有長生寓意。參考一件白玉雙兔銜芝紙鎮，售於佳士得香港，2015年6月3日，拍品編號3345。