White jade of high purity, with a good patina and smooth surface finish China, Qianlong period 1736-1795 The naturalistically carved 'Buddha's hand' attached to a leafy gnarled stalk suspending a smaller attendant fruit, its 'fingers' extending sinuously and mingling at their tips, the translucent stone of an attractive even white color. A remarkable aspect of this carving is that both fruits are rendered in an early state of decay, with their original form still being fully intact, but the skin already showing some insect bite and related signs of deterioration. By adding these minor yet clever details, the artist has breathed more life into his work than seen on most other depictions of this subject matter. Exquisitely modelled and polished to a smooth yet highly tactile finish, the present piece is an impressive display of the technical expertise of craftsmen working during the Qianlong period. The Buddha’s hand citron, which takes its name from the shape of its fruit that resembles the idealized digit-form fingers of the Buddha, has a strong fragrance and is used as an altar offering during the New Year celebration. The first character of its name fo, is a pun for fu (‘blessings’ and ‘riches’), while the second character, shou, is homophonous for longevity. Fitted hardwood base. Shape: Sculptural Dimensions: 9 cm (height) Condition: Excellent Provenance: American private collection Literature comparison: Compare further examples of finger citron, such as one in the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, illustrated in James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, pl. 79; another in the Alan and Simone Hartman collection, illustrated in Robert Kleiner, Chinese Jades from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 202; a third one in the Muwen Tang Collection of Chinese Jades. Sotheby’s, Hong Kong, December 1st,2016, lot 11. 清代十八世紀白玉雕刻佛手 白玉，高純，包漿細膩，表面光滑 中國，乾隆(1736-1795) 自然地雕刻的“佛手”連接著一個枝葉繁茂的粗莖，懸掛著較小的小果實，它的“手指”尖端延伸並混合在一起。這塊白玉半透明極具這吸引力。 这件雕刻作品的一个显着特点是，两种果实都处于衰老的早期状态，其原始形态完好无损，但表皮已经出现一些昆虫叮咬和相應的衰老迹象。 通过增加这些小但觀察細微的细节，艺术家为他的作品注入了更多的生命，而不是如其他大多数人对这个主题的刻畫。 白玉表面光澤細膩，這件作品是乾隆時期工匠們的高湛雕刻技術令人印象深刻的重現。 隨形而雕 尺寸：高9 cm 品相極好 美國私人收藏 文獻參考：其他佛手作品，可見西雅圖美術館，藏品出版于James C.Y. Watt《西雅圖美術館中國玉器收藏》，西雅圖，1989, 圖 79；其他如 Alan and Simone Hartman collection, 出版于 Robert Kleiner 《來自Alan and Simone Hartman收藏的中國玉器》香港，1996, 圖 202; 第三件在 《五德冰清—沐文堂藏中國玉雕》，蘇富比，香港，2016年12月1日，11號拍品。