Page 86 - Bonhams Hong King May 30 2017 THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES

52 According to Hangong jiuyi (The Old Rites of the Han Dynasty), only
A VERY RARE JADE ‘CROUCHING TIGER’ SEAL the seals of the emperor and empress were made of jade with a tiger-
Han Dynasty shaped knob, and the seal of the empress bears the same characters
The square seal platform surmounted by a ferocious crouching as that of the emperor.
tiger superbly and vividly carved with a writhing body showing a
fierce expression with bulging eyes and open mouth, the underside Compare a similar jade seal also vividly carved with a crouching tiger
uncarved, the smoothly-polished stone of calcified white tone. as the knob, Western Han dynasty, excavated from the tomb of Liu
2.4cm (1in) square Sheng, Prince of Zhongshan in Mancheng, Hebei Province, illustrated
in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, vol.1, Beijing,
HK$150,000 - 200,000 2010, p.195. See also a pale green jade seal, Western Han dynasty,
US$19,000 - 26,000 with the underside inscribed ‘King’s seal’, excavated from the tomb of
the King of Nanyue at Xianggang, Guangdong Province, illustrated in
Provenance: ibid., vol.11, Beijing, 2010, p.135.
Acquired from Lai Loy (1926-2012), Hong Kong, in 1986
The Songzhutang collection, no.69

Published and Illustrated:
T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade,
Hong Kong, 2011, pl.69

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