A FINELY CARVED CELADON AND RUSSET JADE GROUP OF CRANES AND PEACHES

清代 青白玉鹤桃延年摆件

China, Qing dynasty

H. 22cm

The jade is finely carved in the round as a pair of cranes...

A FINELY CARVED CELADON AND RUSSET JADE GROUP OF CRANES AND PEACHES

清代 青白玉鹤桃延年摆件

China, Qing dynasty

H. 22cm

The jade is finely carved in the round as a pair of cranes standing amidst pierced rocks and lingzhi fungus beneath gnarled branches laden with ripe peaches. The elegant birds are rendered with delicately incised plumage and gracefully arched necks, one crane turning its head toward a cluster of fruit, the other standing serenely below. The softly polished stone displays a translucent celadon tone with areas of russet suffusion accentuating the carving. The scene represents he tao yan nian — “cranes and peaches of longevity” — symbolizing blessings of long life and enduring harmony.

Provenance:
Acquired from M. Tournet, 14 rue Chauveau-Lagarde, Paris, accompanied by the original invoice.

Note:

Active from at least the early 1930s through the 1940s, M. Tournet was a Parisian dealer and certified customs expert (expert près les Douanes) specializing in Asian—particularly Chinese—works of art. His gallery, located at 14 rue Chauveau-Lagarde near the Place de la Madeleine, regularly appeared in art-trade directories, period magazines, and the Hôtel Drouot bulletins of the period. Advertisements as early as 1931 list “M. Tournet, Art de Chine,” indicating a focus on Chinese porcelains, jades, and decorative objects, while wartime notices describe him as an officially recognized appraiser of furniture and works of art.

Tournet’s business operated within the thriving Paris market for Asian art between the wars, a network that included both dealers and collectors of international renown. His gallery supplied pieces to leading private collections, and objects once handled by him later entered major museum holdings. Notably, several works in the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris—including items from the Rothschild bequest—retain original labels reading “M. Tournet, 14 rue Chauveau-Lagarde, Paris, Chine.” These surviving markings attest to his reputation as a respected specialist in Chinese art and his lasting contribution to the circulation of Asian antiquities in early twentieth-century France.

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