Page 90 - 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

~646
A FINELY CARVED WHITE JADE FIGURE
OF A MYTHICAL BEAST
17TH-18TH CENTURY
The head of the recumbent beast is finely detailed with a
broad, curved mouth above the scalloped line of its beard, a
nose with down-turned tip and laid-back ears. The body has
rounded knobs indicating the backbone and a bifurcated tail
which is tufted on one side with finely detailed hair markings.
The luminous stone of even white tone has some areas of
russet color on one side, and has a satiny polish.
3Ω in. (9 cm.) long, hongmu stand
$100,000-150,000
PROVENANCE:
Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978) Collection.

This finely carved figure is similar to the white jade figure of a
recumbent mythical beast illustrated by James C. Y. Watt in
Chinese Jade from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum,
Seattle, 1989, no. 55. The shape of the nose and the softly
rounded backbone are very similar, as is the polish. The
Seattle figure is dated late Ming to early Qing, and the author
notes that the "very fine and technically sophisticated carving
points to a date of early Qing." The unusual shape of the
nose can also be seen on a yellow and brown jade figure of
a mythical animal of Song-dynasty date, illustrated by Watt
in Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, The Asia Society, New
York, 1980, p. 76, no. 58 and again in the exhibition catalogue,
Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 112-13, no. 85.

十七/十八世紀 白玉雕瑞獸
來源:
史蒂芬 • 瓊肯三世（1978年逝）珍藏。

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