A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE ZODIAC FIGURE OF A MONKEY, LATE QING TO REPUBLIC China, 19^th to first half of 20^th century, or possibly earlier. Well carved as a seated monkey wearing a loose-fitting monastic robe and holding a rosary in both hands, its face neatly detailed with incised wrinkles to the forehead. The translucent stone of a pale yellow tone with a nuance of green and several russet veins and cloudy inclusions.

Provenance: Collection particulière française.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor old wear and possibly microscopic nicks. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. The jade with a fine, unctuous feel overall which indicates extensive handling over a long period of time.

Weight: 77.9 g
Dimensions: Height 5.9 cm

Astrology was an important part of life in traditional China. Marriages, the opening of a business, relocation, travel, and burial were just some of the activities dictated by the astrological signs of those involved. Despite the importance of astrology in Chinese culture, representations of the twelve zodiac animals are surprisingly rare, especially in jade. The monkey is the ninth zodiac sign and represents shen, the ninth of the earthly branches.

Literature comparison: Compare a set of twelve jade zodiac figures, dated 18^th-19^th century, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 02.18.730a–l. For another complete set of twelve from the 18th century, see Jadeware (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 111. Another set of twelve from the later Qing dynasty is illustrated in A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, pl. 76.

清末民初黃玉雕猴
中國，十九世紀至二十世紀上半葉，或更早。猴子身穿寬鬆的僧袍，雙手捧著念珠，面部前額的皺紋清晰可見。淺黃色調的半透明玉料，帶有細微的綠色和幾條赤褐色的脈絡和絮狀物。

來源：法國收藏。
品相：狀況極佳，有輕微的舊磨損和可能的細微刻痕。天然紋理玉料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些可能已經發展成細小的裂縫。玉石整體細膩瑩潤。

重量：77.9 克
尺寸：高5.9 厘米