Page 18 - Christie's Important Chinese Art Nov 3 2020 London

yellowish jade of similar quality. The von Oertzen
belt hook’s close associations with this group of
exceptional artifacts suggest that it, too, was likely
made for individuals of unusual stature, a prince,
or even ruler during the late 3rd or early 2nd
century BCE.

In the six decades since the von Oertzen belt hook
was first published in 1952, belt hooks of this
quality in material, size, design, and workmanship
remain rare. To date, nothing else comparable has
emerged from even the most recent excavations of
2nd and 1st century BCE imperial mausoleums—at
Dayunshan (excavated 2009 to 2012, at Youyu,
Jiangsu province), which yielded more than ten
belt hooks in jade, gold, silver, even rock crystal; or
at Nanchang, Jiangxi province (excavated 2011 to
2016), that yielded over 500 jade artifacts. None
has been published from major collections in
western and Asian institutions. As a status symbol
made from a highly valued material with profound
meanings and symbolism throughout Chinese
history, the von Oertzen jade belt hook is truly an
unparalleled masterpiece for all time.

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