Page 80 - Youngman jade Collection Hong Kong March 3 2019 Sotheby's

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A PALE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF A ZOOMORPHIC ARCHER
LIAO DYNASTY
depicted with the body of a short-eared hare, crouching on the hind legs with the upright body twisting at the torso to shoot behind,
the right arm extended parallel to the ground clutching the bow in the hand, the left arm pulling the arrow taut against the string,
the gaze focused in the direction of the shot, a tuft of fur extending from the crown of the head to the nape of the neck forming a
small loop for suspension, the stone a pale green colour flecked with white calcification
遼 青白玉神獸射箭把件
h. 3.5 cm, 1⅜ in.
HK$ 60,000-80,000
US$ 7,700-10,200

PROVENANCE 來源
Anunt Hengtrakul, New York. Anunt Hengtrakul，紐約
LITERATURE 出版
Robert P. Youngman, The Youngman Collection 羅伯特．楊門，《楊門藏玉：中國玉器．新石器時代至
of Chinese Jades from Neolithic to Qing, Chicago, 清代》，芝加哥，2008年，圖版100
2008, pl. 100.

In body and action, this figure borrows heavily from Han dynasty images of zoomorphic immortals engaged in hunts. A close
parallel to this figure appears on the lacquer-painted outer coffin on Lady Dai’s (ca. 213-163 BC) tomb at Mawangdui, as
illustrated in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, vol. 3, Fujian, 1998, cat. no. 108.
Despite the ancient origins of the subject matter and form, the carving style of the present figure indicates that it was
produced in the Liao dynasty. The combination of the planar structure of the design, the subtly rounded surfaces of the
body, the smooth edges of the carving marks, the intimate scale, and the selection of a pale stone colour is distinctive of jade
craftsmanship in the Liao dynasty. A number of Liao jade carvings in the form of animals and fantastic figures that share the
above traits with the present piece was exhibited and published in Jades from China, The Museum of East Asian Art, Bath,
1994, cat. nos 204, 205, 213-217. A similarly carved figure of an apsaras excavated from a Liao tomb in Inner Mongolia is
published in Zhongguo meishu quanji: Gongyi meishu bian, yuqi, vol. 9, Beijing, 1997, cat. no. 244.

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