Page 81 - 2020 Sept 22 Junkunc_ Chinese Jade Carvings _ Sotheby's NYC Asia Week

9/2/2020 Junkunc: Chinese Jade Carvings | Sotheby's

Junkunc: Chinese Jade Carvings
New York |22 Sep 2020 | 09:30 AM EDT

Lot 241

A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE MYTHICAL BEAST, SONG - MING DYNASTY
Estimate: 60,000 - 80,000 USD

A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE MYTHICAL BEAST
SONG - MING DYNASTY
宋至明 黃玉雕瑞獸擺件

the recumbent beast resting on four paws with its head turned to the left, detailed with a broad snout, bulging eyes, long curled
striated eyebrows and a pair of large furled ears, its ridged spine extending to a bifurcated tail curled along its left haunch, the
softly polished stone with patches of russet skin

Length 3⅞ in., 9.7 cm

Provenance
Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

來源
史蒂芬•瓊肯三世（1978年逝）收藏

Catalogue Note
This charming figure of a mythical beast has been skilfully carved to utilize the natural brown inclusions of the stone in a manner
that enhances the animal's sense of vitality. Unlike the more typical exaggerated features of carvings of fantastic creatures of the
Song and Ming periods, this figure assumes a naturalistic form akin to a dog, as seen in its softly formed paws and facial features.
The bifurcated tail and exaggerated eyebrows are perhaps the only hints of its supernatural identity.

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