A Chinese Carved Marble Rabbit

Song dynasty (960-1279), carved rabbit in resting position with legs languid to the side, head lowered and tucked into the front legs, its folded ears quietly defined in low relief along its back, seated atop a rectangular plinth, the creamy white smooth marble stone of even color with some brown speckles to back of rabbit and reddish inclusion to the plinth.


2 x 3 3/4 x 2 1/8 in.

From the Collection of Adrienne and John C. Maxwell, Jr. John C. Maxwell Jr. assembled one of the most distinguished private collections of Asian art in the American South, with a particular focus on Chinese, Korean, and Japanese works spanning antiquity through the late imperial period. A financier and respected market analyst by profession, Maxwell developed his interest in Asian art during his military service in Korea in the early 1950s. What began as personal study evolved into a lifelong commitment to collecting, scholarship, and connoisseurship.

The collection formed by Maxwell and his wife Adrienne reflects Maxwell’s highly analytical eye and preference for works possessing strong historical character, refined craftsmanship, and clear cultural significance. Numerous objects from the collection together with their private library of 1,200 scholarly Asian art journals and books were gifted to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where they became part of the museum’s Maxwell East Asian Collection.

Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd., New York
Purchased from the above in 2000.

Very good condition; some rubbing with slight wear to corner edges of plinth.

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