Page 45 - Bonhams Hong Kong Fine Chinese Works of Art December 2 2021
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PROPERTY OF A GENTLEMAN 紳士收藏
           216
           A VERY PALE GREEN JADE MYTHICAL BEAST             The xiezhi is a legendary mythical beast considered to be a symbol of
           18th century                                      justice and law. The earliest record of xiezhi in literature dates back to
           The recumbent beast deftly carved in the round, with feet tucked   the Han dynasty, where it is described as a strong mythical beast with
           underneath the body and the head turning to the right, detailed   one horn who settled disputes by directly ramming the party at fault.
           in relief between with a single horn between two pointed ears
           above protruding eyes and flaring nostrils, the muscles of the body   Compare with a similarly-carved jade mythical beast illustrated in Jade
           accentuated by smooth curved lines and well-detailed spine, the semi-  Blossom, Imperial Xiuneisi Jade Objects and Ancient Jade Gems
           translucent stone of even greenish-white tone with russet inclusions,   Collected by the Xu’s of Cixi, Zhejiang, Zhejiang Provincial Museum,
           wood stand. 10cm (4in) wide (2).                  2010, pp.196-197; and see also a further example in the Metropolitan
                                                             Museum of Art, New York, illustrated in A Passion for Jade: The Heber
           HKD120,000 - 160,000                              Bishop Collection, 2015, no.9 (acc.no.02.18.381).
           US$15,000 - 21,000
                                                             A related white jade carving of a mythical beast and cub from the
           十八世紀 白玉雕瑞獸擺件                                      collection of Mr and Mrs Emile Gavage-Longree, was sold at Bonhams
                                                             Hong Kong, 28 May 2019, lot 39.
           Provenance:
           A distinguished Asian private collection          此件瑞獸獨角羊身，或為東漢以來所云獬豸，獬豸的形象東漢前莫衷
                                                             一是，或云獨角羊者，《後漢書·輿服志》：「法冠......或謂之獬豸冠。獬豸
           來源：                                               神羊，能別曲直，楚王嘗獲之，故以為冠。」後遂多以獨角羊的形象出現。
           亞洲顯赫私人收藏
                                                             杭州歷史博物館藏一件宋代玉獸，亦是獨角披髪，頷下有鬚，用刀藏鋒，
           The finely carved and polished single-horn mythical beast, which can   打磨圓潤，本件拍品與其風格極似，見古方著，《中國古玉器圖典》，
           be identified as xiezhi, is a superb example of the jade carver’s ability   北京，2007年，頁328。另見北京故宮博物院清宮舊藏一件宋代玉異獸，
           to take advantage of the pebble shape to create imaginary creatures   著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集：玉器（中）》，香港，頁67，編號57。
           of arresting sculptural quality at the time when fine-quality white jade
           stone such as the present lot was expensive to access.   邦瀚斯香港曾售出一件比利時Emile Gavage-Longree伉儷舊藏的十八
                                                             世紀白玉雕母子瑞獸擺件，可資比較，2019年5月28日，拍品編號39。











































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