Page 99 - Sotheby's Important Chinese Art, Sept. 21-22, 2-21, NYC

44
A DARK GREEN JADE BI DISC
LATE WARRING STATES PERIOD / WESTERN
HAN DYNASTY
46
of circular form pierced with a central aperture, densely
carved to both sides with spiral patterns enclosed within line PROPERTY FROM THE LIANG FAMILY COLLECTION a crouching prowl and with the face turned to the side,
borders, the stone a deep hunter-green streaked with russet sold in these rooms, 2nd November 1979, lot 51, and was
and areas of calcification A BEIGE AND RUSSET JADE BIXIE subsequently illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade–
Diameter 6½ in., 16.5 cm HAN - SIX DYNASTIES From the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 26:7. A

PROVENANCE prowling with the body lowered and turned slightly to the third related example is in the National Museum of Asian
right, the right foreleg drawn back and the other three Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. (coll. no.
J.J. Lally & Co., New York, April 1993. legs pushing the body forward, the spine and muscular S1987.797), was included in the exhibition 5000 Years
Collection of Jacob and Mary Stein. torso twisting in concert with the movement, the contours of Chinese Jade: Featuring Selections from the National
Christie’s New York, 20th-21st March 2014, lot 2006. Museum of History, Taiwan and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery,
mimicked by the wings issuing from the shoulders and laying
flat against the back, the ferocity of the beast conveyed Smithsonian Institution, San Antonio Museum of Art, San
EXHIBITED Antonio, 2011, cat. no. 47. A jade beast of this type with an
through the protruding chest with the head held high above
Cincinnati Collects 5000 Years of Chinese Art, Taft Museum and glaring over the left shoulder, the mouth open bearing elongated body from the Qing Court Collection, is published
of Art, Cincinnati, 1997. the teeth and fangs, the bulging eyes alert beneath a in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace
furrowed brow, the mane swept back and the tuft of fur from Museum: Jadeware I, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 201.
⊖ $ 15,000-20,000
the chin brushing against the chest, the stone a beige color The present jade bixie is also strikingly similar to the creature
with russet inclusions on the finial of a Han dynasty seal illustrated in Gu Fang, ed.,
戰國末 / 西漢 玉穀紋璧 Length 2¾ in., 7 cm Zhongguo chu tu yu qi quan ji: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei [The
Complete Collection of Unearthed Jades in China: Beijing,
來源： PROVENANCE Tianjin, Hebei], Beijing, 2005, vol. 1, p. 195. It also bears a
藍理捷，紐約，1993年4月 Collection of Liang Dunyan (1857–1924), and thence by strong resemblance to a gilt-bronze ‘mythical beast’ mat
44 Jacob 及 Mary Stein 伉儷收藏 descent. weight attributed to the Han-Six Dynasties sold in these
紐約佳士得2014年3月20至21日，編號2006 Moving away from the highly stylized depictions of animals in rooms, 17th March 2021, lot 198.
the Shang and Zhou dynasties, artisans of the Han dynasty Close comparisons can also be drawn between the present
展覽： and Six Dynasties developed a more naturalistic approach carving and three jade bixie that have been attributed to the
《Cincinnati Collects 5000 Years of Chinese Art》，塔夫 to representing animals. This aesthetic was applied to Six Dynasties. The first, from the collection of Dr. and Mrs.
脫藝術博物館，辛辛那提，1997年 images of both real and mythical creatures, and across Cheng Te-k’un, was exhibited in Watt, op. cit., cat. no. 12; the
artistic mediums. At the same time, lapidary arts flourished, second, from the collection of Robert Youngman, sold in our
and jade animals of unprecedentedly high quality started Hong Kong rooms, 3th April 2019, lot 3405; and the third
to be carved. The present bixie is a superb example of the sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30th May 2017, lot 2743.
sculptural practices of the period, and the era’s enthusiasm
for miraculous creatures that were believed to be portents $ 30,000-50,000
45 possessing supernatural power.
A number of similar jade bixie attributed to the Han dynasty 漢至六朝 玉辟邪
A STONE AXE are known. Compare one exhibited in Chinese Jades from
NEOLITHIC PERIOD Han to Ch’ing, Asia House Gallery, Asia Society, New 來源：
York, 1980, cat. no. 11. A similar jade bixie, also poised in 梁敦彦 (1857-1924) 收藏，此後家族傳承
the trapezoidal blade flaring to a curved end, gently beveled
on all four edges, pierced through with a circular aperture,
the stone a mottled pale-gray color
Length 5½ in., 14.1 cm
PROVENANCE
J.J. Lally & Co., New York, February 1997.
Collection of Jacob and Mary Stein.
Christie’s New York, 20th-21st March 2014, lot 2005.
EXHIBITED
Archaic Chinese Bronzes, Jades and Works of Art, J.J. Lally &
Co., New York, 1994, cat. no. 14.
⊖ $ 8,000-10,000

新石器時代 石斧
來源：
藍理捷，紐約，1997年2月
Jacob及Mary Stein伉儷收藏
紐約佳士得2014年3月20至21日，編號2005
展覽：
《Archaic Chinese Bronzes, Jades and Works of Art》，
45 藍理捷，紐約，1994年，編號14

94 SOTHEBY’S COMPLETE CATALOGUING AVAILABLE AT SOTHEBYS.COM/N10748 95