Page 66 - Bonhams Cornette Saint Cyr, Property from the estate of Jean-Pierre Rousset (1936-2021)

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RARE BIXIE EN JADE VERT PALE ET ROUILLE Bixie (‘auspicious beast’) were the female guardians of treasure
Époque des Six Dynasties (265 -589 ap. J.-C) brought back by male Tianlu who went out into the world in search
of gold. the function of these lifelike sculptures made from durable
A VERY RARE PALE GREEN AND RUSSET JADE CARVING OF A materials was to embody and pacify the elemental and supernatural
BIXIE forces of the living world. Large stone figures of ferocious beasts
Six Dynasties (265-589AD) including lions and tigers, and imaginary winged figures, were all
The creature resting on its front paws, the rear right haunch tucked placed on the spirit avenues in tombs of emperors and high ranking
underneath the body and the rear left extended to reach the bifurcated officials and military commanders, a tradition that flourished and
tail, the powerful face carved with wide bulging eyes below a pair reached its peak during the Six Dynasties, when immense fabulous
of thick curling eyebrows and horns directed back across the head, beasts drawn from the spiritual world were produced on a grand scale
with part open mouth and beard issuing from the lower jaw, the body outside the tombs near Nanjing.
delicately incised with scrolling wing motifs and scrolls to the rear
haunches, three parallel incised markings to the back to simulate Simultaneously, an artistic tradition of creating jade animals of the
the fur, the softly polished stone of pale whitish hue to the back and highest quality flourished. In contrast to the majority of earlier two-
creamy russet tone to the body and head, with russet markings to one dimensional jade carvings, made for the afterlife or to adorn the
side of the head and rear haunch. individual, these figural sculptures were created in the round as
10.5cm (4 1/8in) long. independent objects, not just as sumptuous display items for the
appreciation of the elite, but also to provide the owner with a constant
€40,000 - 60,000 and concrete realisation of the powerful supernatural forces latent in
the world around.
Provenance:
Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935 Jade bixie of the Six Dynasties unlike the earlier ones made during
Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021) the Han dynasty, appear to display less movement in their carving.
Compare a jade fitting in the form of a bixie, Eastern Han dynasty,
illustrated by J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing,
London, 1995, p.353, fig.6; and see also another example, Wei/
Jin dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace
Museum: Jade 4 Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties,
Beijing, 2011, no.299. See a related jade carving of a mythical beast,
Six Dynasties, illustrated by J.Rawson and J.Ayers, Chinese Jade
throughout the Ages, London, 1975, no.186. A further Six Dynasties
jade bixie from the collection of Dr and Mrs Cheng Te-k’un, is
illustrated by J.Watt, Chinese Jade from Han to Ch’ing, New York,
1980, pl.12.
A related beige and russet jade bixie, Han dynasty/Six Dynasties, was
sold at Sotheby’s New York, 21 September 2021, lot 46.

(detail)

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