Lot Essay
The depiction of a monkey upon a horse's back represents the rebus 'Ma shang feng hou' which may be translated as 'May you receive a swift promotion to a high rank of office'. This popular motif was would have been used to confer good wishes to those hoping to advance quickly into officialdom.
A similar jade group dating to the Qianlong period is found in the Palace Collection in Beijing and is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 111, plate 91.
A similar jade group dating to the Qianlong period is found in the Palace Collection in Beijing and is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, p. 111, plate 91.