PROPERTY OF A LADY Celadon Russet Jade Immortal and boy attendantMing Dynasty, 17th Century The larger robed figure, probably Shoulao, holding a lingzhi spray in his left hand and a ribboned gourd over his right shoulder, and a staff by his side, the boy attendant holding a basket in his right hand and with a cloth hanging from his belt to his reverse, the figures standing amidst attractively drilled pierced rockwork visible mostly to the lower sides and reverse, the back of the figure with russet and beige inclusions. 5 5/16in (12.9cm) high, circular wood stand 明 十七世紀 青玉壽老擺件 Provenance: A Private English Collector in the US., 1970's to the present day 出處： 美國英裔私人收藏，1970 年代至今 Whilst our figure does not display the attributes normally associated with the Daoist immortal Shoulao , neither a peach or scepter with a deer nearby, nor a high cranium, but rather a cloth cap usually indicative of a sage, our elderly man is very similarly carved to representations of the Daoist god of longevity, and does appear to hold a staff in his raised right hand. There is a possibility that the young attendant standing in front of our figure, clutching a basket may represent Lan Caihe , one of the eight Daoist immortals and the patron of florists and gardeners. Lan's gender is uncertain since s/he is sometimes depicted as a young girl or boy. A jade figure described as Tung-fang Shou (Dongfang Shuo) , a Han dynasty scholar-official, and dated to the late Ming or early Qing dynasty, with a large gourd vessel on his back tied with ribbon sashes and also wearing a cloth cap, is illustrated by James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing , The Asia Society, Inc., New York, 1980, pp.118-119, no. 101. For a slightly later figure of the immortal Shoulao and boy attendant, see Christie's, London, 6 November 2012, lot 21.