A fine Chinese white jade carving of a horse, 18th century, carved in recumbent pose on...

A fine Chinese white jade carving of a horse, 18th century, carved in recumbent pose on crested waves, with its head turned back towards the heavenly texts tied to its back with a ribbon, with finely incised mane and tail, and flames issuing from all four legs, 9.5cm long

Note: Power, knowledge and imperial authority are the defining symbolic traits of this jade carving. The horse itself is an enduring symbol of speed, perseverance, imagination and youthful energy, however the motif of riding atop of a horse has another layer of meaning. The phrase mǎ shǎng 马上, which may be translated as on horseback, is a metaphor for arrive quickly. The books, symbols of learning and one of the Four Signs of a Scholar, are therefore indicative of a wish for knowledge to be attained quickly. The tied ribbon holding these books in place is also of symbolic importance, and is representative of longevity, and in combination with the books atop the horse express the wish for not just rapid but enduring, permanent knowledge. A common motif found in other jade carvings depict a monkey riding atop a horse, which represents the rebus mǎ shǎng feng hou which may be translated as 'may you receive a swift promotion to a high rank of office'.

The recumbent form of the horse, with the head rear-facing and four legs tucked under, was popularised in the Song dynasty; however this form with the addition of books or scrolls is less common. This motif could be referring to several narratives the first being the Han dynasty story of the introduction of the first Buddhist sutras into China. After Emperor Han Mingdi 漢明帝 saw a vision of the Buddha in a dream, a mission that included the trusted official Cai Yin was dispatched to the Western regions in search of scriptures and images of this God. The envoys returned to China with two Indian monks and a bundle of sacred texts, the divine texts mounted atop a white horse. The emperor subsequently commissioned the construction of the White Horse Temple 白馬寺 in the capital of Luoyang, which still stands today.

The swirling waves at the base of the jade could be a reference to an older Chinese narrative: on a mandate from Heaven, a mythical horse was sent by sea carrying divine manuscripts to be delivered to the emperor, ensuring divine rule and solidifying the emperors connection to heaven. The flames lashing out from the water are symbolic of the emperors fierce zeal, and a desire to rule wisely. The waves also bear imperial symbolic connotations. The word for tide, cháo 潮, sounds the same as the word for imperial court 朝. This homonym is used frequently throughout Chinese art, with waves symbolising the imperial court or a desire to enter the court, and is often used on gifts given wishing the recipient a job in high office.

CF. An example of a jade horse carved complete with books and waves can be found in the Beijing Palace Museum 1995 publication on jade (玉器 (下)) plate 90, page 110. Similar examples are illustrated in Fung and Yeung, Exquisite Jade Carving, p. 103; Hartman-Goldsmith, Chinese Jade, no. 34, p. 66, in the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum; Nott, The Flowery Kingdom, pl. XLIV, p. 99; Tibet Museum, Jade Selections from Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties in the Tibet Museum, no. 101, p. 148; and Zhang, Jadeware (II): The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, nos. 149 and 150, p. 189. Two Song dynasty examples of a recumbent horse jade are published in Chinese Jade Animals (中國肖生玉雕) 1997, Hong Kong Museum of Art (香港藝術館) plates 125 and 127, pages 144-147.