Page 88 - Bonhams Hong King May 30 2017 THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES

53 The tiger has long been one of the oldest symbols for protection
A VERY RARE JADE CARVING OF A TIGER in China and is considered as one of the most powerful beasts for
Han Dynasty warding off evil. The tiger motif inspires both awe and admiration and
The recumbent beast vividly carved with its head slightly raised facing also embodies the spirit and drive for success. According to Handai
forward, the ferocious face with bulging eyes and menacing open jaws, jiuyi (The Old Rites of the Han Dynasty), jade seals with a tiger-shaped
with all four paws lined up in front of the body, its long tail curled over its knob were made for the use of the emperor and empress, indicating
back, the stone of white tone suffused with speckled black inclusions. the importance of the tiger.
4.5cm (1 3/4in) wide

HK$150,000 - 200,000 A similar dark grey jade carving of a tiger, Western Han dynasty, in the
US$19,000 - 26,000 B.S.McElney collection, is illustrated by J.C.Y.Watt, Chinese Jades
from Han to Ch’ing, New York, 1980, p.40, no.9.
Provenance:
Acquired in Hong Kong in 1985 One of the characteristics of the excavated jade and bronze animals
The Songzhutang collection, no.73 in the Han dynasty is that they were depicted with long necks, simple
slashes for the ears, mouths wide open and feet peculiarly all in one
Published and Illustrated: straight line or in two groupings of two feet each. See a large leopard
T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, carving in a similar form, Western Han dynasty, excavated from the
Hong Kong, 2011, pl.73 tomb of the Prince of Chu at Shizishan in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province,
illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China,
vol.7, Beijing, 2010, p.133.

86 | BONHAMS