Page 81 - Chiense jades Hong Kong Sothebys April 2017

These two standing figurines are worked from 立俑白玉帶褐皮，小處沁斑。兩玉人五官清
white jade with light brown skin and isolated 秀，面容祥和，高矮略有差。均著右衽深衣，
spotted areas. Slightly different in height, the 腰系紳帶，典型的漢服傳統。一人盤髻小辮，
figurines both have elegant faces and tranquil 一人垂髮長辮，雙手攏袖於腰腹前。此器雕琢
expressions, and wear typical Han-style robes 簡練細膩，刀法粗獷遒勁，頗具神韻。
with right lapels and fastened around the waist
with a sash. One wears her hair in a bun ending in 漢代出土玉人多以小件片雕的各式舞人造型居
a small tail, and the other wears hers loosely and 多，此類較大體型、成對出現，拱手站立的立
holds her arms underneath her sleeves up to her 體圓雕非常罕見，其造型多見於漢代的彩繪陶
abdomen. These spirited pieces were expertly 俑、木俑。
executed in assured and robust carving.
關氏收藏中有一相類玉人，尺寸較小，但立姿
Excavated Han dynasty jade figurines tend to 與此接近，展於《關氏所藏中國古玉》，香港
be multipiece and small, commonly depicted as 中文大學文物館，香港，1994年，編號236。
dancers. This pair of relatively large standing
figurines carved in the round is very rare; most
extant standing figurines from the period are
made of polychrome ceramics or wood.

An individual jade figure of a lady in the Simon
Kwan Collection was included in the exhibition
Chinese Archaic Jades from the Kwan Collection,
Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong,
Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 236. Smaller in size
than the current figures, it nonetheless shares the
same distinct standing posture.

BEASTS OF ANTIQUITY – IMPORTANT JADE ANIMALS FROM THE CHANG SHOU STUDIO 79