Page 94 - 2020 October 8 HK Fine Classical Paintings

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PROPERTY FROM THE HEI-CHI COLLECTION 東漢 青白玉辟邪
A RARE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF A BIXIE
EASTERN HAN DYNASTY
depicting prowling with the left front leg striding forward, the
muscular body of the horned beast rendered with a large pair
of wings extending from the front haunches and detailed with
fine plumage, echoing the contours of the bifurcated tail, the
celadon stone suffused with faint russet inclusions
4.8 cm, 1⅞ in.
HK$ 1,500,000-2,000,000
US$ 194,000-258,000
Fashioned in the round from a pebble of translucent celadon 圓雕辟邪，玉色青白，玉質透亮，雕刻嫻熟，生動有
tone, this carving convincingly captures the innate power and 力，栩栩如生。玉匠巧琢辟邪蹲伏姿態，宛若蓄勢待
otherworldliness of the bixie. The carver’s virtuosity with the 發。辟邪獅首，單角雙翼，鱗羽層疊，形象源自西
medium is evident in the articulation of the animal’s powerful
semi-reclined pose and the fine incised lines that details its 亞，盛行於西漢末東漢初年。
scaly body and wings. Depicted with the head of a lion, a single
horn and a pair of wings, this mythical beast has its origins in 漢代道家學說興盛，權貴追求長生之道，進而影響當
the arts of western Asia, and became a frequently depicted 朝工藝發展，玉石神獸雕塑尤其盛行，墓葬之中常見
subject during the transition from the Western Han to the 大型石雕鎮墓守陵及玉雕動物、瑞獸陪葬品，用以守
Eastern Han dynasty.
護墓主，辟邪驅惡。相類存世之例甚罕，參考西安漢
The Han dynasty saw the emergence of a rich sculptural 元帝（在位西元前48-33年）墓附近出土五件玉雕瑞
tradition that developed from a heightened interest in the 獸，其中玉辟邪，姿態風格與本品相似。陵墓之中，
representation of animals and fabulous beasts in durable
materials. The spread of Daoist philosophy and the pursuit 此類玉雕瑞獸或用以再現宇宙天地之貌，如當朝博山
of immortality among the upper echelons of Han society had 爐。
a dramatic impact on the production and consumption of
such sculptures. Monumental stone sculptures of animals 參考北京故宮博物院藏玉雕瑞獸，錄於《故宮博物院
and their small jade counterparts were found at Han dynasty 藏品大系：玉器編4：漢魏晉南北朝》，北京，2011
burial sites, and are believed to have served the function 年，圖版236；思源堂舊藏一件東漢作例，2016年4月5
of protecting their owner and leading the way to paradise.
Evidence of this tradition is scarce, although a group of five 日售於香港邦瀚斯，編號32。台北故宮博物院藏東漢
jade animals were recovered in the vicinity of Emperor Yuan’s 玉辟邪，尺寸較大，盛名遠播，刊於《精彩一百國寶
(r. 48-33 BC) mausoleum in Xi’an, including a bixie modelled 總動員》，台北，2012年，編號18。Desmond Gure 雅
in a similar pose. It has been suggested that these animals 蓄一例，現存華盛頓弗利爾美術館，並載於博物館網
may have been displayed within the tomb as inhabitants of a 站，藏品編號 S1987.26；並參考一例玉辟邪形珮，收錄
miniature paradise landscape, as similar depictions are known
on contemporary bronze incense burners (boshanlu). 於羅森，《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing》，
倫敦，1995年，頁353，圖6。
Only a small number of jade mythical beasts from this period
is known; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in
Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol.
4, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Beijing,
2011, pl. 236; and an Eastern Han example, from the Sze Yuan
Tang collection, was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 5th April
2016, lot 32. See also a much larger bixie in the National Palace
Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Splendid
Treasures. A Hundred Masterpieces of the National Palace
Museum on Parade, Taipei, 2012, cat. no. 18; another from the
collection of Desmond Gure, now in the Freer Gallery of Art and
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C., published on the
Museum’s website, accession no. S1987.26; and a jade fitting
in the form of a bixie, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese
Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 353, fig. 6.

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