A MINIATURE AMBER PENDANT IN THE FORM OF A CHARIOTEER, YUAN DYNASTY

拍品描述

A MINIATURE AMBER PENDANT IN THE FORM OF A CHARIOTEER, YUAN DYNASTY China, 1279-1368. Carved from translucent amber, depicting a man, most certainly a charioteer, in a squatting posture, holding an object in one hand and wearing a robe with incised folds and a hat. His rounded face is rendered with minimal but expressive detailing. The luminous stone is of a distinct, warm and honey-golden tone with small creamy-yellow inclusions. Dimensions: Height 3.5 cm Amber, known as the soul of the tiger (hupo) in China, is the fossil resin of the prehistoric pine Pinus succinifera and is considered one of the organic semi-precious stones. It was highly valued for its association with courage and health, linked to the tiger. From the Shang dynasty onward, amber was imported from Burma and the Baltic region, making it extremely expensive, and it was used in medicine and also jewelry. The oldest known amber miniature is a pendant from the Six Dynasties period showing a squatting figure. Most early miniatures date from the Liao dynasty and were typically pendants and small boxes that were hung on the belt, often depicting naturalistic or mythical animals such as tigers, lions, and birds; representations of people, such as the present lot, are considerably rarer. Literature comparison: Compare two amber carvings, Liao Dynasty, 4.4 cm and 6.4 cm high, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, object numbers 2008.189.1 and 2008.189.2. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2395 Price: HKD 62,600 or approx. EUR 9,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Note that the lot comprises three pendants.

图片