Page 26 - Sotheby's Junkunc Collection March 2019

101 A RARE PALE GREEN JADE ‘DRAGON’ PENDANT, XI
EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
東周 青玉雕龍首觽

finely carved, the arched body tapered and terminating in a pointed tip, the other side in a dragon-head in profile, its hooked
beak open revealing pointed teeth, blunted snout and long horns pinned back against the head, and with a C-shaped aperture
for suspension, the body finely incised with lines, the beige celadon stone with russet markings and inclusions

Length 4¾ in., 12.2 cm
$ 20,000-30,000

PROVENANCE 來源
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978). 史蒂芬•瓊肯三世（1978年逝）收藏

This curved dragon pendant, xi, is also referred to as a ‘knot opener’ or ‘claw-shaped pendant’. See a similar
dragon-form xi attributed to the Late Zhou dynasty in the Harvard Art Museums, illustrated in Max Loehr, Ancient
Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, 1975, pl. 500. Another with a hooked tail attributed to the Eastern Zhou dynasty, in the British
Museum, London, is illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jades, London, 1995, pl. 17:11. Two more elaborately
carved xi were included in the C.T. Loo exhibition, Chinese Archaic Jades, Norton Gallery of Art, West Palm Beach,
Florida, 1950, cat. nos 4-5. A xi with a shorter tail, formerly in the collection of Dr. Paul Singer is now in the Freer
Sackler Galleries, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., acc. no. RLS1997.48.2135, whilst another of similar
profile in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Jade Artifacts in the
National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1982, pl. 103. Compare another similar pendant sold at Christie’s New York, 6th
December 1983, lot 206.

觽，古時用以解結，亦稱爪形佩。哈佛美術博物館收藏 兩例，紋飾較繁縟，曾展於盧芹齋，《Chinese Archaic
一例，器形相近，斷代周朝末期，圖見於 Max Loehr， Jades》，諾頓美術館，西棕櫚灘，佛州，1950年，編號
《Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. 4-5。再比兩例，其一尾部較短，出自 Paul Singer 醫生
Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum》，哈佛大 收藏，現藏於弗瑞爾及賽克勒美術館，華盛頓，藏品編號
學，劍橋，麻省，1975年，圖版500。倫敦大英博物館收 RLS1997.48.2135，其二現藏於台北故宮博物院，該兩例
藏一例，觽尾起鈎，斷代東周，圖載於 Jessica Rawson， 圖載於《故宮古玉圖錄》，台北，1982年，圖版103。紐
《Chinese Jades》，倫敦，1995年，圖版17:11。另比 約佳士得曾售一例，售於1983年12月6日，編號206。

24 JUNKUNC: ARTS OF ANCIENT CHINA