Page 106 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art Jades, Met Museum Irving Collection NYC
P. 106
35 ⓮ 䌱 A CALCIFIED JADE CARVING
军 晽
大 沍 OF A BIRD
␐ ⼊ SHANG - EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
⇅ġġġ 䎖
the ß at stone carved on both sides as a recumbent bird in proÞ le,
with large circular eyes and long sloping beak, a long hooked
feather extending from the crown of the head alongside the
remnant of another plume, the tail arced downward, the body
incised with a spiral forming the breast, the olive-beige stone
calciÞ ed and with traces of cinnabar
Height 2 in., 5.2 cm
PROVENANCE Ը๕
Collection of Lord Cunli# e, The Rt. Hon. Rolf, 2nd Baron Cunli# e ŕũŦġœŵįġʼnŰůįġœŰŭŧ炻ijůťġŃŢųŰůġńŶůŭŪŧŧŦġŰŧġ
of Headley (1899-1963). ʼnŦŢťŭŦź炻ńŶůŭŪŧŧŦġ⊃䇝ġĩIJĹĺĺĮIJĺķĴĪġ㓞啷
Bluett & Sons Ltd., London, circa 1973. ŃŭŶŦŵŵġħġŔŰůŴġōŵťį炻ΐ㔎炻䲬IJĺĸĴ⸜
Ralph M. Chait Galleries, New York, 18th June 1986.
œŢŭűũġŎįġńũŢŪŵġňŢŭŭŦųŪŦŴ炻䲸䲬炻IJĺĹķ⸜ķ㚰IJĹ㖍
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016)
ἃ伭ΐ㕗ġĩIJĺijıĮijıIJĹĪġ⍲崓ỗ䈡ġĩIJĺIJĸĮijıIJķĪɀ
Irving, no. 61.
㫸暚ằ⃟㓞啷炻䶐嘇ķIJ
EXHIBITED ࢝ᚎ
A Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Jades and Allied
˪łġńŢŵŢŭŰŨŶŦġŰŧġņŢųŭźġńũŪůŦŴŦġŃųŰůŻŦŴĭġŋŢťŦŴġŢůťġ
Decorative Works of Art from the Cunli! e Collection, Bluett &
łŭŭŪŦťġŅŦŤŰųŢŵŪŷŦġŘŰųŬŴġŰŧġłųŵġŧųŰŮġŵũŦġńŶůŭŪŧŧŦġ
Sons Ltd., London, 1973, ill. pl. B. no. 65.
ńŰŭŭŦŤŵŪŰů˫炻ŃŭŶŦŵŵġħġŔŰůŴġōŵť炻ΐ㔎炻IJĺĸĴ
$ 20,000-30,000 ⸜炻⚾䇰Ń炻䶐嘇ķĶ
See a related example illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese
Jades from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 12:29,
where the author notes that birds with long, downward
turning tails were fairly common at Anyang and became more
widespread during the Western Zhou. For a related, more
elaborately incised example, see one from the collection of King
Gustaf Adolf and in the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities,
Stockholm, exhibited in Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages,
Oriental Ceramic Society, Victoria and Albert Museum, London,
1975, cat. no. 68.
Compare also a more elongated ‘bird’ pendant illustrated in Max
Loehr, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop
Collection, Cambridge, 1975, pl. 256, and one sold in our Hong
Kong rooms, 21st May 1982, lot 976. A more simpliÞ ed pendant
of similar form, attributed to the late Shang dynasty, sold at
Christie’s New York, 2nd June 1989.
Fig. xx Caption Title in Italics caption caption caption
caption
SOTHEBY’S
104
104 SOTHEBY’S

