David Trujillo
Head of Sale
Lot 98
"Nature's Paintbrush" Jasper Carving of Two Leopards by W.K. Ngai--"Cats at Play"
6 October 2022, 10:00 PDT
Los AngelesSold for US$892.50 inc. premium
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"Nature's Paintbrush" Jasper Carving of Two Leopards by W.K. Ngai--"Cats at Play"
The interesting pattern of leopards is captured through the use of this highly graphic variety of jasper, known as "Nature's Paintbrush". Carved from a single large boulder, the two leopards are facing close together, above a free-form base of polished black onyx. Measuring 9 x 8 1/2 x 6in (22.9 x 21.6 x 15.3cm)
Footnotes
W.K. Ngai
With the equivalent of US$40, a cutting machine, and a vision, W.K. Ngai founded a gemstone cutting workshop in Hong Kong in 1964. Starting at first with cabochons, he gradually learned the techniques and secrets of the masters for cutting gemstones. By 1979, W.K. became one of the first in the industry to open a factory in China with seven employees, devoting extraordinary time, effort and patience to train men who were once farmers to become master gemstone carvers. At its peak, the factory employed over 1,000 workers with over 300 of them being physically disabled. The workshop is now closed and Ngai retired, thus the carvings offered here are all limited edition.