A thin exterior layer of ocher accents this work of white jade. A moon door stands ajar at the center of the sculpture and creates a visual effect of two distinct spaces. On one side of the door, leafy paulownia trees (Chinese tongshu, alternately translated as the phoenix tree) grow amidst artificial rockery. The figures are vividly presented. By the door in the shade of the trees, a daughter of the nobility holds an auspicious lingzhi fungus in her hand. She looks through the opening at another young lady on the other side who stands beneath a plantain tree while holding an exquisite vase. Ornamental garden rockery, stone stools, and tables decorate the garden. This jade sculpture of Paulownia Trees Shading Young Ladies exemplifies three-dimensional carvings of the Qing dynasty.
The underside of the sculpture is engraved with a poem and an inscription—both attributed to the Qianlong Emperor—in praise of the craftsmanship. The two seals read Qian and Long (the two characters of that emperor's reign title), respectively. The work is dated to the early autumn of the kuisi year (1773) of the Qianlong reign. 
   Inspired by the court oil painting Paulownia Trees Shading Young Ladies (Tongyin shinü tu) of the Kangxi period (1662-1722), this work is fashioned from the remaining piece of jade that was removed from an original larger piece of jade used to carve a bowl. The design accords with the thought of Liu Xie (ca. 465-539) who taught that favorable circumstances are produced by taking advantage of that which exists.

　　桐荫仕女玉山，清乾隆，长25cm，宽10.8cm，高15.5cm。

　　此玉山白玉质，有黄褐色玉皮。以月亮门为界，把庭院分为前后两部分，洞门半掩，门外右侧站一女子手持灵芝，周围有假山、桐树；门内另一侧亦立一女子，手捧宝瓶，与外面的女子从门缝中对视，周围有芭蕉树、石凳、石桌和山石等。器底阴刻乾隆御制诗、文各一。诗云：
　　相材取碗料，就质琢图形。剩水残山境，桐簷蕉轴庭。
　　女郎相顾问，匠氏运心灵。义重无弃物，赢他泣楚廷。
　　末署“乾隆癸巳新秋御题”及“乾”、“隆”印各一。文曰：“和阗贡玉，规其中作碗，吴工就余材琢成是图。既无弃物，且仍完璞玉。御识。”末有“太璞”印。
　　本器从内容到风格皆仿油画《桐荫仕女图》而作，所用玉料实为雕碗后的弃物，但玉工巧为施艺，庭院幽幽，人物传神，人们似可听到两女子透过门缝的窃窃私语。剩料被加以利用，这种取其自然之形和自然之色传以生动之神的做法，正符合“势者，乘利而为制也”（《文心雕龙·定势》）。此器是清代圆雕玉器的代表作。