Page 46 - 2021 March 18th Junkunc Collection Christie's New York City

IMPORTANT CHINESE ART FROM THE JUNKUNC COLLECTION | 瓊肯珍藏重要中國藝術

Although diminutive in size, this exquisite jade camel is Museum, Beijing, 2012, p. 137, no. 119. (Fig. 1) The Tianjin
exceptional for the sensitive and naturalistic rendering, the camel and the Junkunc camel are quite similar, including
masterful workmanship and the high quality of the jade the shaped base and the two humps flopped in opposite
material. Its depiction standing is also extremely rare, as directions. The hair markings on the Tianjin figure,
most jade camels of early date are shown recumbent. however, appear to be rendered with broader cuts, and
are not as finely executed as on the Junkunc figure.
While camels in Chinese art are inexorably linked with
Tang China, they did also enjoy popularity under the Most published small jade figures of camels are shown
Mongols of the Yuan dynasty. Chi Ju-hsin, in her essay, recumbent. One such jade figure, dated Tang or Yuan
‘A social and cultural approach to dating Chinese Jades: dynasty, 8th-14th century, is illustrated by Jenny F. So,
Two examples from the Cissy and Robert Tang collection’, Chinese Jades from the Cissy and Robert Tang Collection,
included in Jenny F. So’s publication, Chinese Jades from op. cit., pp. 174-75, no. 35. It is shown seated with its head
the Cissy and Robert Tang Collection, Hong Kong, 2015, facing forward and the legs folded and tucked on either
pp. 242-5, makes the observation that in Chinese history side of the body. The back legs are correctly shown bent
it was really only during the Tang and Yuan periods that back under the body, not folded forward as they would be
people had the opportunity to observe camels firsthand with most animals, such as the example in the Museum
and thus were able to portray them faithfully and of Far Easter Antiquities, illustrated by J. Rawson, Chinese
naturalistically. While a Tang-Yuan dynasty dating has Jades through the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum,
been ascribed to the Junkunc jade camel, the high quality London, 1975, no. 249, where it is dated Song dynasty,
of the material and the workmanship point more towards a or the two jade camels illustrated by James C. Y. Watt,
Tang-dynasty date. Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, The Asia Society, New
York, 1980, pp. 61-62, nos. 40 and 41, both of which are
Only one other jade figure of a standing camel of this dated Tang dynasty.
miniature size appears to be recorded: the one in the
During the Tang dynasty, most figures of standing
Tianjin Museum, dated Tang dynasty and measuring 6.3
cm. high, illustrated in Jade Wares Collection by Tianjin camels were made of pottery and were usually of large
size, such as the chestnut and straw-glazed figure sold at
Christie’s New York, 22 March 2007, lot 267. As with the
present jade figure, the pottery camel is shown standing
foursquare on a base, has hair markings, and the humps
are realistically depicted. Pottery depictions of camels
in a diminutive size, however, were also produced. One
such miniature (3 ½ in. high) is the blue, amber and
white-glazed example of Tang dynasty date from the Falk
Collection, sold at Christie’s New York, 1 October 2001,
lot 15. (Fig. 2)

Fig 2. A miniature blue, amber and white-glazed pottery figure of a
camel, Tang dynasty (AD 618-907), from the Falk Collection, sold at
Christie’s New York, 15 October 2001, lot 15.
圖二： Falk珍藏一例唐代袖珍陶駱駝，於紐約佳士得2001年10月15日
拍賣，拍品15號。

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