Page 8 - September 23 to 24 Important Chinese Art Christie's NYC

An Important Jade Tiger Pendant
from the Shang Dynasty

美不勝收－商代玉虎

by Robert D. Mowry 毛瑞

Lot 703

Exceptionally rare and exquisitely carved, this beautiful A flat pendant embellished on both sides, this exceptional object would
Shang-dynasty jade tiger pendant is important for many reasons: at 11.6 have been suspended by means of a cord, probably of silk, that was secured
cm in length (maximum, ear to tail), it is one of the largest such pendants via the circular opening at the top the tiger’s head. It likely hung from the
known; its imagery is powerful, and its condition is excellent; exhibited and wearer’s belt, perhaps alone but possibly linked together with beads and
1
published in New York as early as 1939, it has a distinguished provenance other pendants.
that can be traced from 1939 to the present; and, as it hasn’t been publicly
shown or exhibited since 1939, it is fresh to the world’s eyes. Most important The tiger, called hu or laohu in Chinese, is among the most recognizable
of all, however, it compares in style and quality to a jade tiger pendant of the world’s charismatic megafauna. Originating in China and northern
excavated in 1976 from the tomb of Lady Fu Hao (d. c. 1200 BC) , a principal Central Asia, the tiger was known to the earliest Chinese, who likely feared,
wife of Shang-dynasty King Wu Ding (r. c. 1250–c. 1192 BC), attesting not admired, and respected it for its strength, ferocity, and regal bearing.
only to the importance of this piece but to the high status of the person for Though its precise symbolism in Shang times (c. 1600–c. 1046 BC) remains
whom it was made; in fact, it might have been made for Shang royalty. In unknown, the tiger doubtless played a totemic, tutelary, or talismanic role.
short, it ranks among the most important Shang jade tiger pendants to come By the Western Han period (206 BC–AD 9)—a thousand years after this
to market in many decades. pendant was made—the tiger was regarded as the “king of the hundred

這件珍罕的商代玉虎美不勝收、雕工精湛，並具多重意義：它全長11.6公分， 年後，虎因生性勇武兇猛，兼之前額斑紋多類「王」字，故贏得「百獸之王」之美譽。它
是已知近似例中之最；1 其紋飾主題恢宏大氣，且品相一流；它早於1939年已在紐約展 不僅躋身中國十二生肖或屬相，更是化身「四象」的瑞獸之一，「白虎」代表西方，餘者
出與發表，自此其主人無不赫赫有名；自1939年起，此玉虎從未公開亮相或展示，故大 分別為青龍 (東)、朱雀 (南) 和玄武 (北)。
有首登世界舞台之感。至關重要的是，其風格和品位堪與1976年婦好墓 (約公元前1200
年，乃公元前約1250至1192年在位的商王武丁之妻) 出土的玉虎媲美，這不僅證明本拍 此玉虎扁平，前後虎紋雷同，虎作匍匐狀，作勢欲撲，其首低垂，齜牙咧嘴，壯碩的前
品舉足輕重，更顯示了其製作對象絕非等閒之輩；實際上，該玉珮也許是商代皇族御 身蓄勢待發，尾蜷曲，其力量、剛強與勇猛一覽無遺。此虎的造型與河南安陽殷墟武官
製之物。綜而觀之，較諸數十年來市場上的商代玉虎，本拍品絕對是箇中的典藏之作。 村大墓遺址1950年出土的商代虎紋石磬殊無二致，該磬現藏北京市中國國家博物館。 2
(圖一) 本拍品的虎紋也與安陽出土商代雕花骨器息息相關，後者可參見費城賓夕凡尼
4
3
這件佳作形狀扁平，兩面雕飾，應是以繩 (多用絲線) 穿過虎頭上方繫孔加以固定。此 亞大學考古及人類學藝術博物館藏 (館藏號65-2-1A 及65-2-3 )。此外，河南安陽西北岡
玉虎很可能繫於腰帶，佩帶者或僅掛一珮，也可能結以珠串或其他掛飾。 M1001號大墓出土骨柶凸面的虎紋亦與本拍品十分接近。 5
以當今世上最具魅力的巨型動物而言，老虎是知名度最高的動物之一。它源自中國及 與本拍品最接近的例子，當數1976年安陽婦好墓 (約公元前1200年) 出土的一件全長
6
中亞北部，中華先民很早就知道虎的存在，而且對虎之強悍、剛猛和威嚴既敬且畏、欽 13.3公分的玉虎。 (圖二) 無論是虎的匍匐姿態、濶大的虎首及壯碩的前身，或是濶口利
佩有加。雖然無法確知虎在商代 (約公元前1600至1046年) 的象徵意義，但它確曾發揮 齒、粗短的虎爪及帶V形條紋的捲尾，兩者的表現手法均如出一轍，甚至連虎皮意趣盎
圖騰、守護或護身之功用。及至西漢時期 (公元前206至公元9年)，即本拍品誕生約一千 然的斑紋亦大同小異，但這些斑紋在個別作品的形狀與格局的確略有出入。本拍品及
6