LARGE CHENXIANGMU 'LANDSCAPE' SCULPTURE WITH ZITAN BASE QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY 清 大型沉香木雕山水樓閣擺件 帶紫檀雕海水龍紋木座 the sculpture masterfully carved from a large piece of wood into a mountainous landscape, with a variety of trees issuing from cragged rockworks, pavilions built on rocky promontory, small animals roaming in the meandering paths, a large multi-level boat sailing on the river in the front view, with a fitted zitan wooden base carved in the form of a dragon emerging from swirling waves (38cm wide x 25cm high x 34cm deep) Qty: (1) Provenance: Formerly in a private European collection Note: The present wood mountain is impressive for its magnificent size and exceptionally fine carving. It is rare to find mountains carved in wood although a smaller example, carved in red sandalwood with a scene related to the folk story of the eight celestial beings crossing the sea is illustrated in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carvings, Beijing, 2004, pl. 86. This mountain is exquisitely finished and is one of the finest and largest examples recorded in this medium. A further comparable wooden sculpture of a carved wooden mountain, dated to the Qianlong period, was offered at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 April 2012, lot 3213.