A Large Pale Greenish-White Jade ‘Daoist Immortals’ Boulder

In China, mountains were considered the dwellings of immortals, and the reverence in which they were held can be seen in the use of mountain-form rocks as an object of contemplation on a scholar’s table, as well as in their depiction in jade and other materials such as various hardstones, bronze and porcelain in mountain-form brush rests. The examples in jade were made in various sizes, and depicted an imagined mountainous setting usually representing a retreat for scholars, their figures seen amidst the rocky landscape where gnarled trees grow, and where pavilions and temples await them. As with the present jade mountain, a mountain of comparable size in the Qing Court Collection illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures in the Palace Museum – 42 – Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 86, pl. 73, depicts scholars and pavilions carved in high relief on the side of the mountain, all below a censer placed on the upper-most ledge. Although jade mountains may have depicted many of the same elements, they are completely individualistic, exhibiting the artistry and imagination of the carver.