清　碧玉水牛|Water Buffalo

Unknown

18th century · Jade (nephrite) · Asian Art

Ingeniously shaped out of a massive dark green nephrite boulder from the riverbed of Yarkand, in northwestern China, this sculpture weighs more than forty pounds. The cunning naturalistic details, including a whorl of hair on the animal’s forehead, demonstrate the observant eye of a master carver in the eighteenth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

18th century

Medium

Jade (nephrite)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness, 1936