~ Chinese Qing Dynasty Jade Pendant Of A Boy With A Carp ~
A charming hand-carved nephrite jade group depicting a chubby young boy reclining on his front atop a large carp fish, the two figures carved together from a single piece of stone in a naturalistic, rounded composition. The boy's head is rendered with a smooth domed crown incised with fine linear strokes to suggest hair or a cap, a round full face with gently closed almond eyes, an incised brow, a straight nose, and a small mouth, giving an overall expression of peaceful contentment or sleep. His plump rounded body is shown lying prone, with rolls of flesh at the torso rendered in soft, bulbous forms typical of depictions of infants in Chinese jade carving, his legs drawn up behind him with bare feet visible at the rear. The carp beneath and beside the boy is detailed with incised cross-hatched scales across its body and a clearly defined dorsal fin and tail, its head turned toward the front of the composition. The whole rests on an irregular, naturalistic base suggestive of rockwork or a lotus leaf. The stone is a pale celadon to honey-toned nephrite, displaying attractive variation from a warmer yellowish tone to a cooler greyish-green across the piece, with good translucency in the thinner areas of the boy's head and body. A small hole pierces the base, allowing the piece to be worn or displayed as a pendant or toggle.
Historical Context
The pairing of a young boy with a carp is one of the most auspicious and frequently encountered motifs in Chinese decorative art, rooted in a network of visual puns and symbolic associations central to Chinese culture. The carp, or yu, is a homophone for abundance and surplus, and carp imagery is closely associated with wishes for prosperity, fertility, and success, most famously in the legend of the carp that leaps the waterfall to become a dragon, symbolising perseverance rewarded with advancement. Combined with the figure of a chubby boy, itself symbolic of the wish for male heirs and family continuity, the motif of a boy with a fish becomes a doubly auspicious wish for abundant, prosperous male offspring. Comparable pendants combining a boy with lotus and fish motifs are known from the period around 1900, carved in nephrite jade with apple green striations. The reclining, sleeping pose of the boy in this example is a particularly tender variant of the subject, evoking the peaceful contentment associated with a prosperous and well-provided household. The pierced hole to the base confirms the piece's original function as a pendant or toggle, intended to be worn on the person as both an ornament and a talisman of good fortune.
~ Dimensions ~
The piece measures 2 inches (5cm) by 2 inches (5cm) and 1 inch (2.6cm) high. It weighs 67g.
~ Condition ~
The item is in lovely condition with just one tiny chip to the edge by the carps main body. It has an acceptable degree of wear as befits its age.
