Creamy White Nephrite Ornament

Vintage Chinese nephrite jade ornament carved with a family of three mountain goats.

The scholarly carving is a paperweight.

A finely textured and ‘milky’ white nephrite is far from common, perhaps one notch under white mutton fat nephrite in terms of rarity.

Specifically this texture is described as ‘glutinous’ ( 糯 ).

Many online photos of nephrite ornaments are not as white and luminous when viewed in person.

This carving’s thorough whiteness presupposes a dense and blemish free material, though these are uncommon attributes altogether, highly valued in collectible nephrite.

Ming and Qing dynasty weights are usually sculpted in animal forms, this trinity of goats is “san yang kai tai” (三阳开泰), summoning the wheel of fortune, the yang is a homophone for the sun, hence a surge of luck.

The carving in open work gives the appearance of both flatness and convexity, unbelievably smooth and creamy as the material curves from goat (rump) to goat (rump).

The biggest goat has a comparatively svelte contour – right down to their bellies and hooves, the convexity addresses the symmetry of three-as-one.

The more exquisite carvings from an earlier time reveal a keen appreciation of Nature’s forms that is neither pathos nor pedantic, without pandering to false primitivity.

The open work is simple and poised, with a singular lingzhi linking the three, their recumbent bodies the very opposite of restlessness.

The horns of the two mature goats are carved to let the light in, a bit of hollowing will unveil the jade’s triumph, while the rest of the material spreads outwards densely.

Only in a vintage well-carved piece as this will such a high wastage of rough be tolerated.

The carving measures 8.5 x 7.5 x 4 cm (thickest).