Page 30 - Robert Youngman Collection Of Chinese Jade March 2019 Sotheby's

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A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘DRAGON AND PHOENIX’ GROUP
QING DYNASTY, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY
the broad, flat stone carved with the two fantastic creatures in profile, the larger dragon-fish rearing upward, its powerful body writhing in a tight
S-curve, its long fins sweeping upward from the shoulders echoing the arch of the neck, the mouth open in a roar, a small phoenix next to the proper
right side of the dragon, its legs tucked under and the neck and tail relaxed contrasting the unbridled energy of its companion, the details of each
animal’s anatomy deftly carved, the stone an icy white color flecked with dark russet towards the top
清十七 / 十八世紀 白玉雕龍鳳把件
Length 2⅜ in., 6 cm
$ 20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE 來源
Collection of Jon Edwards. Jon Edwards 收藏
Weisbrod Chinese Art, Ltd., New York. Weisbrod Chinese Art, Ltd，紐約
EXHIBITED 展覽
A Private Collection of Early Chinese Jades, Weisbrod 《A Private Collection of Early Chinese Jades》，
Chinese Art, Ltd, New York, 1994, cat. no. 43. Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd.，紐約，1994年，編號43
出版
LITERATURE
Robert P. Youngman, The Youngman Collection of 羅伯特•楊門，《楊門藏玉：中國玉器·新石器時代至清代》，
芝加哥，2008年，圖版149
Chinese Jades from Neolithic to Qing, Chicago, 2008,
pl. 149.

This animal group has a strong sense of vitality coursing through the fluid curving lines of the dragon-fish, which is harmoniously offset by
the placid countenance of the bird roosting next to it. The bold use of the russet skin to accent the otherwise white stone similarly contributes
to the composition’s overall expression of balanced dynamism. The sophistication of the form and the crispness of the carving indicate that
this piece was produced circa the Kangxi period, when jade craftsmen reached new heights in the refinement of traditional subjects and the
development of a fresh aesthetic.
The bodily movement and anatomical features of the dragon-fish bear a striking resemblance to a Kangxi period white jade carving of a
makara sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2007, lot 1600; while the naturalistic articulation of the bird, especially the treatment of
the head, is consistent with that of a Kangxi era white jade goose from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, sold at Christie’s Hong
Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1563. The ridges and bell-shaped curve of the wings of each creature also closely resemble the wings of a
Kangxi period white jade tianma (‘heavenly horse’) sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 11th April 2008, lot 3080; and the form of the lingzhi in a
Kangxi period carving of a calcified jade ‘deer’ group sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 7th April 2015, lot 3751.

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