A PALE CELADON FIGURE OF A BOY WITH A HOBBY HORSE, 18TH CENTURY China. Carved as a striding boy holding the reins of the hobby horse with one hand, the other holding a leafy lotus stem. The translucent stone of a pale celadon color with faint russet patches and veins, and cloudy white inclusions.

Provenance: From the collection of the late Michael Sherrard CBE, QC, acquired before 2000 and thence by descent. Michael Sherrard (1928-2012) was an English barrister in fraud and company law who was considered one of the great recent influences on the legal profession. He was involved in numerous high-profile cases in both English and East Asian courts, particularly Hong Kong and Singapore. Together with Linda Goldman, he wrote a memoir titled “Wigs and Wherefores: A Biography of Michael Sherrard QC”. Sherrard was an enthusiastic collector of Chinese art, especially jade carvings.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, minuscule nibbling to the base, the lotus flower with a small chip. The stone with natural imperfections and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 74.0 g
Dimensions: Height 65 cm

Exquisitely modeled in the round to depict a boy astride a hobby horse, the reins of which he lovingly clutches whilst slinging stems of lotus over his shoulder, this carving captures the playful ease and charm of the subject. Images of boys playing with a hobby horse form part of the popular 'boys at play' and 'Hundred Boys' subjects that emerged during the Song dynasty. This theme is symbolic of the Confucian ideal for the education and advancement of many sons, a wish further emphasized by the lotus he carries which is a homophone of 'continuous' and creates the rebus 'May you continuously give birth to sons'. As the boy is depicted riding a hobby horse, this conveys the further wish for it to come quickly as 'to be on top of a horse' means 'immediately'.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related carved jade figure of a boy, but holding a rattle instead of a lotus stem, in the collection of the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, collection number BATEA 1218. Compare also a related jade figure of a boy holding a lantern on a pole, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2015.500.5.14.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, lot 158
Price: HKD 525,500 or approx. EUR 72,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A superb pale celadon jade 'boy and hobby horse' carving, Qing dynasty, 18th century



十八世紀青白玉騎馬上任童子珮
中國。圓雕一童子騎於玩具馬上，圓頭圓腦，頭頂髮髻，雙眼細瞇喜笑顏開。上衣及長褲衣紋褶皺自然，右手拿著一朵蓮花。馬顯得溫順可愛。青白玉細膩瑩潤。

來源：Michael Sherrard CBE，QC 收藏，於 2000 年之前購買，保存至今。Michael Sherrard (1928-2012年) 是一名英國大律師，被認為是近期對法律界產生重大影響的人物之一。 他在英國和東亞法院，尤其是香港和新加坡，參與了多起著名案件。 他與Linda Goldman一起寫了一本回憶錄，題為《Wigs and Wherefores: A Biography of Michael Sherrard QC》。 Sherrard 是一位熱心的中國藝術品收藏家，尤其喜愛玉雕。
品相：品相極好，有輕微磨損，底部有輕微的磕損，蓮花帶有小磕損。玉料具有天然缺陷和裂縫，其中一些可能隨著時間的推移發展成細小的裂縫。

重量：74.0 克
尺寸：高65 厘米

通體琢刻細膩，匠心獨運，人物栩栩如生。男孩玩木馬是宋代流行的“嬰戲圖”和“百子圖”中的一部分。男童玩馬也取意即將出官入仕，平步青雲，玩趣十足。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近的騎馬上任童子玉珮，男童手上拿著蓮花，收藏於巴斯東亞藝術博物館，收藏編號BATEA 1218。比較一件相近的騎馬上任童子玉珮，男童手上拿著燈籠，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，編號2015.500.5.14。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2016年11月30日，lot 158
價格：HKD 525,500（相當於今日EUR 72,500）
描述：清十八世紀青白玉雕連生貴子把件