Page 7 - Important Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, Hong Kong

3201 Continued fig. 2 Collection of the Hebei Provincial Museum
圖二 河北省博物館藏品
This rare early jade carving is in the form of a recumbent ram,
reminiscent and possibly inspired by bronze lamps of the same fig. 3 Collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing
period, such as the example excavated in the tomb of King Liu Sheng 圖三 北京故宮博物院藏品
in Mancheng, now in the Hebei Provincial Museum, illustrated in
Zhongguo wenwu jinghua dacidian, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 320, no. 1148
(fig. 2). Although it is currently described as a water pot, its actual
function remains unclear. The two lugs at the back of the head and on
the rear end of the current ram indicates that some form of device or
attachment existed originally, possibly in metal, which has now been
lost. There is a jade water pot in the form of a recumbent ram dated to
the Han period in the Qing Court Collection, illustrated in Jadeware (I),
The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, vol. 40,
Hong Kong, 1995, p. 239, no. 200 (fig. 3). However, scholars suggest
that the Palace example was possibly later adapted as a water pot
in the Ming period. The current ram carving does not appear to have
been later altered, and the hollow on the back appears to be an original
feature. It is also possible that this ram was used as a container,
perhaps a medicine bottle. A jade container in the form of a winged
beast, excavated in Yangzhou and now in the Yangzhou Provincial
Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji (4): Qin, Han – Nanbeichao,
Hebei, 1993, p. 181, nos. 251 and 252, was probably used as a medicine
container to hold herbal pellets.

The current ram is not only unique in its form but also unusually
large in size. The previous cited jade ram measures only 7 cm. long;
another jade ram in the Qing court collection dated to the Han Dynasty,
illustrated Jadeware (I), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the
Palace Museum, vol. 40, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 237, no. 198, measures
5 cm. wide.

This jade ram was once in the collection of Huang Jun, one of the
most important dealers of archaic jades and bronzes in the early 20th
century in Beijing. Many of the jades he handled are now in museum
collections around the world, including the well-known Han dynasty
jade horse, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

此件青玉器為臥羊形，與同時期一種羊形銅燈形式相類，如中山靖王劉
勝墓中出土，現藏於河北省博物館的一件羊形燈即為如此，見《中國文
物精華大辭典》，香港，1995 年，320 頁，1148 號（圖二）。雖名為水
丞，但其功用並不非常明確。頭上及背上的兩個環扣原應繫有配件，或
為銅製，今已佚失。清宮舊藏有一件漢代羊形水丞，著錄於《故宮博物
院藏文物珍品全集 : 玉器（上）》，第 40 冊，香港，1995 年，239 頁，
編號 200（圖三）。然而學者卻認為它極有可能於明朝時掏膛改造。本
器並無後改痕跡，其掏膛應為原製。另有可能本器本為某種容器，或用
以貯存丹藥之類。揚州甘泉老虎墩東漢墓出土的一件飛獸形玉容器，現
藏於揚州市博物館，著錄於《中國玉器全集（4）: 秦漢 - 南北朝》，河
北，1993 年，181 頁，圖版 251 及 252 號。此器也曾被定為水滴，但現
在有學者認為其或為丹藥罐。

本器不但形制特殊，尺寸也比一般常見的碩大。如前所提，清宮舊藏
玉羊僅 7 公分長，另一件著錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集 : 玉器
（上）》，237 頁，198 號的玉羊更小，僅 5 公分長，只有本器的一半大。

本器為尊古齋黃浚舊藏，他是民國初年北京一位非常重要的古董商，專
門經營青銅器及古玉，著名的皿方罍即由他經手，他舊藏的許多玉器現
入藏於世界各大博物館，倫敦維多利亞亞伯特博物館裏，舉世聞名的漢
代玉馬亦為其舊藏。

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