A Celebration of Clouds

清朝梮玉仙山慶椎圖檉方屏

Made of greenish nephrite, the most common type of jade, this table screen is worked on only one side. The scene is likely adapted from a painting; the title, engraved at the upper left of the scene, reads A Celebration of Clouds. The primary motifs are clouds, which symbolize immortality. Curling, stretching, or whirling, they float above remote mountains and form a counterpoint to the tall peaks and old pines.