B33

Chalcedony, pale-beige with darker brown inclusions brilliantly carved to represent a sage with attendant at a ship's bow navigating around a group of large rocks, with a range of mountains in the background.

Chinese, 1750 - 1860
Stopper: coral on turquoise collar
Provenance: Hugh Moss Ltd, London, 1974
Height: 6.1cm

This is another excellent silhouette agate, creating a picture that will give constant pleasure and food for the imagination. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate between a fisherman and a sage in a sampan, but this subject always appears idyllic. The life of a fisherman is not always idyllic and can be fraught with bad weather and treacherous waters that can be both uncomfortable and life threatening. The sage would be less likely to be boating unless the conditions were such that they compelled him to participate in order to meditate or to simply enjoy and experience of the surroundings.