Page 87 - 2019 September 10th Sotheby's Important Chinese Art Junkunc Collection

his jade ge is exceptional for the luminous translucent smoothness of the stone and
sophisticated design. Moreover, the central stone inclusion, which has been expertly
Texploited, runs almost snake-like through the middle of the blade, contrasting strikingly
with the rigid shape. As the level of workmanship involved in the creation of jade objects was an
indication of its owner’s importance, it is likely that the present ge belonged to a powerful person who
was in the position to command such a important piece.

The significance of these ceremonial blades in Shang dynasty society is illustrated by the sheer quantity
and quality discovered in the tomb of Fu Hao (d. c.1200 BC), who was a consort of King Wu Ding (r.1324-
1266 BC). Fu Hao’s tomb near the Shang dynasty capital Anyang in Henan province provides a glimpse
into the variety in size, detail, design and excellence in craftsmanship that existed in her time, see Yinxu
Fu Hao mu/Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, pls 107-113 and Jessica Rawson, Chinese
Jade. From the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pp 40-41.

A jade ge from Fu Hao’s tomb displaying the same incised design of lozenges between triple lines as seen
on the current piece is illustrated in Yinxu Fu Hao mu, op. cit., col. pl. 17, fig. 1 (bottom). Another example
with this pattern and of similar shape and size is illustrated in S. Howard Hansford, The Seligman
Collection of Oriental Art, vol. 1, London, 1957, no. B25, pl. LIX, where a nearly identical ge illustrated in
Huang Chün, Yeh chung p’ien yü [Antiquities from Anyang], I, ii, 18, is mentioned. Compare also two
jade ge, one from the J.T. Tai Collection sold in these rooms, 22nd March 2011, lot 61; the other from the
Robert Youngman Collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3rd April, 2019, lot 3401.

觀本品戈，玉質清潤，玉色純透，光滑淨徹，製工精 與本戈紋飾相若之婦好墓出土玉戈，可見一例載
熟，紋飾古樸，沁色絕巧，恍如靈蛇，與刀身對比強 於《殷墟婦好墓》，前述出處，圖版17，圖1（
烈，精美非凡。玉器之雕工精妙與否往往突顯其主人 下）。另見一例，同刻菱紋，形狀尺寸相類，見S.
身份地位，此戈渾然完美，應為顯赫之士所有。 Howard Hansford，《The Seligman Collection
of Oriental Art》，卷1，倫敦，1957年，編號 B25
商代社會中玉戈禮器十分重要，通過商王武丁的王
，圖版 LIX，書中另記一件幾乎相同的玉戈例，載於
后婦好之墓出土玉戈之數量和質量便可窺見一斑。
黃濬，《鄴中片羽初集》，冊下，頁18。另有二玉
婦好墓位於河南省之商代國都安陽附近，出土品之 戈作例，其一來自戴潤齋，售於紐約蘇富比2011年3
尺寸、細節、設計和雕工豐富各異，盡顯當時玉器 月22日，編號61；其二來自楊門收藏，於2019年4
之多元，見《殷墟婦好墓》，北京，1980年，圖版
月3日於香港蘇富比售出，編號3401。
107-113及傑西卡•羅森，《Chinese Jade. From
the Neolithic to the Qing》，倫敦，1995年，頁
40-41。

10 SEPTEMBER 2019 SOTHEBY’S NEW YORK 85