Page 151 - The Parry Collection Bonhams London November 2 2021

The visual pairing of dragons and tigers has a long history
in China, when it appeared in the first hexagram, qian, from
‘The Book of Changes’, thought to have been written during
the Zhou dynasty (1046–256 BC). In the present pendant the
clouds trail behind the dragon while the wind follows the tiger.
According to the ‘Book of Changes’, the two creatures are
associated with the opposing forces of Daoism, with the tiger
representing ‘yin’ and the dragon denoting ‘yang.’

A closely-related pale celadon jade inscribed ‘dragon and tiger’
plaque, Qing dynasty, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong,
9 October 2019, lot 124. See also a white jade ‘dragon and
tiger’ plaque, 18th century, but carved in low relief, which was
sold at Sotheby’s London, 10 May 2017, lot 287.

白玉為材，細膩溫潤，材質規整。額首雕如意云紋，中穿孔可
供繫佩。牌身正面雕飾龍虎，《易經·乾卦》九五爻辭有云，
「同聲相應，同氣相求... 雲從龍，風從虎。聖人作而萬物睹 」。
本例以此為具象，正合背面篆書「風雲際會」，大有作為。

參考一例清代青白玉雕風雲際會圖珮，售於香港佳士得，2019
年10月9日，拍品編號124。另見一例十八世紀白玉龍吟虎嘯圖
牌，以淺浮雕飾龍虎紋，售於倫敦蘇富比，2017年5月10日，
拍品編號287。

52
A RARE VERY PALE GREEN JADE ‘DRAGON’
KNOT-LOOSENER, XI
18th/19th century
Of elegantly curving C-form, the fang-shaped tool terminating
with a dragon-head, the stone of even greenish-white tone.
9.8cm (3 7/8in) long.

£2,000 - 3,000
CNY18,000 - 27,000

十八/十九世紀 青白玉龍首觿

Provenance: 51
Parry Collection, London, and thence by descent

來源：
倫敦Parry家族收藏，並由後人保存迄今

The dragon-shaped arched fang-shaped pendant, which was
likely made to be used as a knot-loosener, is carved after the
archaic prototype made in jade and agate during the Zhou
dynasty (1045-256 BC). At that time, xi pendants were usually
made as pairs and buried in tombs. While the examples dated
to the Spring and Autumn period resembled the shape of an
animal’s tooth or fang, the pendants made during the Warring
States period were usually more slender in form. Dragon-
shaped pendants were developed from the late Warring States
period to early Western Han dynasty; see Gu Fang, The
Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007,
p.240. See jade and agate Xi, in the Palace Museum, Beijing,
illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum:
Jade 3 Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period,
Beijing, 2010, nos.201-206, and 208-209.

觿者，解結錐也。周人為解衣帶之結而常佩解結之工具，並用
於隨葬，常見以玉石或瑪瑙成對製成，為此例濫觴。春秋時期
的玉觿似獸牙，較為粗短；戰國至西漢時期則呈長角狀或彎曲
的龍體。安徽省巢湖市北山頭西漢墓出土一件龍形玉觿，見
古方著，《中國古玉器圖典》，北京，2007年，頁240。另見
《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編3，春秋戰國》，北京，2010
年，編號201-206，及208-209。
52

For details of the charges payable in addition to the final Hammer Price of each Lot
please refer to paragraphs 7 & 8 of the Notice to Bidders at the back of the catalogue. THE PARRY COLLECTION | 149