Page 30 - Sotheby's Part I Collection of Sir Joeseph Hotung Collection CHINESE ART , Oct. 9, 2022

127
׼ ͣ A RETICULATED WHITE JADE 'DRAGON' PLAQUE,

͗ MING DYNASTY
ᗨ the rectangular plaque rendered with cusped corners, reticulated with a four-clawed dragon shown in frontal view, clutching a pearl and

ᎉ writhing against a ground of scrolling tendrils issuing lingzhi, its body detailed with cross-hatching
Ꮂ 5.8 by 7 cm
७ PROVENANCE Ը๕j
Pin Chen Tang, Hong Kong, 18th February 1993. ۜޜੀd࠰ಥd1993ϋ2˜18˚
੭
EXHIBITED ࢝ᚎj
ؐ British Museum, London, on loan, 1995.
ɽߵ௹ي᎜dࡐ౱d࠾࢝d1995ϋ
LITERATURE
̈وj
Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing,
London, 1995, pl. 25:26. ᖯಌdChinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing‘d
ࡐ౱d1995ϋdྡو25:26
HK$ 30,000-50,000
US$ 3,850-6,400

128
҂ ͣ A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE 'BIRD' PEBBLE,

Ї ͗ SONG - MING DYNASTY
׼ ᎉ portrayed with its head turned backwards and two-clawed feet tucked underneath its body, depicted with a hooked beak and a
ჾ bifurcated tail issuing from the mouth of another small animal, its stylised wings detailed with incised plumage and archaistic scrolls,

௢ pierced with an aperture
6.3 cm
PROVENANCE Ը๕:
Collection of Robert H. Ellsworth. τܠჃϗᔛ
Eastern Pacific Co. (Hei Hung-Lu), Hong Kong, 3rd January 1986. ؇इਠБ€ලݳສd࠰ಥd1986ϋ1˜3˚
EXHIBITED ࢝ᚎ:
Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, The Asia Society, New York, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing‘dԭݲ՘ึdॲߒd
1980.
Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1980ϋ
1996. ʕ਷ӽ͛͗ᎉ‘d࠰ಥᖵஔ᎜d࠰ಥd1996ϋ
LITERATURE ̈و:
James C.Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, New York, ֡қʠdChinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing‘dॲߒd1980
1980, cat. no. 78. ϋdᇜ໮78
Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 103. ʕ਷ӽ͛͗ᎉ‘d࠰ಥd1996ϋdᇜ໮103

HK$ 300,000-500,000
US$ 38,300-64,000

Carved from an irregular pebble as a charming bird with a gently contours of the jade pebbles to create whimsical forms with minimal
turned head and tucked wings, complemented by archaistic scroll- waste. James C.Y. Watt suggests that the use of archaistic patterns
patterned plumage, the present figure encapsulates the skills and on naturalistic animals, as seen on the present pebble, probably
imagination of Song dynasty jade artisans. Such representations began from the Tang and continued to the end of the Ming dynasty
of recumbent birds allowed the craftsmen to make full use of the with only minor stylistic modifications (op.cit., p. 94).

58 I FOR COMPLETE CATALOGUING ༉းྡ፽ʫ࢙ሗᓭᚎ SOTHEBYS.COM/HK1293 THE PERSONAL COLLECTION OF THE LATE SIR JOSEPH HOTUNG I 59