23 cm. （9 in.）wide

Buffalos have long been symbolic of strength，tranquillity and prosperity in China and，with the broad muscular body，gentle sway of the spine and the soft，almost smiling features of the face，the lapidary has managed to imbue the present figure with all these qualities.
The mottled greyish-green material used for the present carving is very similar to that found on a 17th century large carving of a recumbent horse sold at Christie’s London，6th June 2000，lot 48. It appears that this material was quite deliberately selected for its natural affinity to the the animal’s coat. Examples carved in white jade do exist，but they appear to be less favoured over flecked green and grey material usually associated with this group of animal carvings. It is for this reason that there has been much debate about the exact dating of this group，the choice of material suggesting a late Ming dating but the vigorous and naturalistic style of the carving more suggestive of a slightly later early Qing date. A number of stylistically similar carvings of buffalos，are known in important private collections and institutions，all sharing the same posture of the head tilted and turned to the side，and the same naturalistic form and fine craftsmanship. A larger example of greyish-green colour is illustrated by J. Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing，British Museum，1995，p. 375，no. 26：19；three further figures are illustrated by J. Rawson and J.
Ayers in Chinese Jade throughout the ages，Oriental Ceramic Society，London，1975，nos. 395-97. The latter，from the collection of Mr. Somerset de Chair，appears to be very closely comparable to the present example and appears to use similar grey-green material. Compare also a very similar example sold at Christie’s New York，21 March 2000，lot 126 of similar flecked greyish-green material. A smaller spinach-green water buffalo from the Sackville George Pelham Collection，of comparable size to the present example，sold at Woolley and Wallis，Salisbury，20th May 2009，lot 388；a buffalo from the collection of Alexander Ionides，later in the Hotchis Collection，sold at Sotheby’s London，20th May 1954，lot 101；and another from the Mrs James Cromwell Collection，later from the estate of Leona M. Helmsley sold at Christie’s New York，30th November 1983，lot 275，and again，19th March 2008，lot 436. Similar examples in grey and black jade material include a buffalo in the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung，illustrated by Jessica Rawson，Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing，London，1995，pl. 26：19；example，from the Hall Family Collection，sold at Sotheby’s Hong Kong，8th April 2010，lot 1909；and another，from the Bulgari and Richard J. Robertson collections，sold at Sotheby’s London，4th November 2009，lot 89. A white jade buffalo was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong，1st December 2009，lot 2009.

Provenance：
A Montreal Family Collection，early 20th Century Pierre Savoie Collection，1970s
A North American Private Collection，2013

Exhibited：
Le Musée du Jade，Québec，Canada

Property of a North American Collector

Price estimate:
HKD: 600,000 - 800,000
USD: 77,600 - 103,400

Auction Result:
HKD: 1,062,000