† A MAGNIFICENT DEEP GREEN JADE ‘EAGLE’ PENDANT, LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD, HONGSHAN CULTURE

拍品描述

† A MAGNIFICENT DEEP GREEN JADE ‘EAGLE’ PENDANT, LATE NEOLITHIC PERIOD, HONGSHAN CULTURE Expert authentication: Dr. Gu Fang has examined the present lot and confirms its authenticity and the dating above, noting the style of cutting, workmanship, thickness, and quality of stone with decomposed areas indicating burial, all suggesting a dating to 4700-2500 BC. He assessed it as a piece of notably good quality. A signed copy of Dr. Gu's expertise, dated 1 September 2022, accompanies this lot. Dr. Gu Fang (born 1962) is an internationally renowned scholar of Chinese art and a leading authority on jades. He graduated from the Department of Archaeology at the prestigious Beijing University in 1986 and later studied at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), where he now serves as a Senior Fellow specializing in archaeological excavations and Chinese jade research. A former visiting scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he has authored several books on Chinese jades, including the 15-volume The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China (2007), one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, as well as Chinese Jade: The Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Jade in China (2012). Northeastern China, Inner Mongolia, 4700-2500 BC. Superbly carved, the avian creature shown in upright posture with tapering tail feathers, its elongated torso with stylized short wings extended to either side and culminating in a rounded head with prominent, bulging eyes. The reverse pierced by a longitudinal perforation intended for suspension. The finely polished, semi-translucent stone exhibits a deep green hue, enhanced by natural inclusions and extensive areas of creamy-white mineral alteration, resulting from millennia of burial. Dimensions: Length 7.6 cm With a fitted fabric-padded box. (2) Jade was employed not only in the production of ceremonial weapons and tools, as observed by Jessica Rawson, but also carved by certain Neolithic communities into ornaments and small animal figures. Archaeological excavations in northeastern China have revealed that the communities of Liaoning Province, associated with what is now identified as the Hongshan culture, created animal sculptures such as this example, alongside a wide range of jade ornaments. The small and distinctive stone and jade carvings discovered in proximity to architectural remains and within burial contexts include remarkably naturalistic depictions of turtles and birds. The majority demonstrate an exceptional command of both material and technique, with surfaces refined through meticulous workmanship and characterized by a remarkable subtlety of finish. See Jessica Rawson, The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, 1992, p. 44–83. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2024, lot 1003 Price: HKD 567,000 or approx. EUR 65,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, and manner of carving. Note the different color of the stone and slightly smaller size (5.5 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s Paris, 10 June 2021, lot 90 Price: EUR 30,240 or approx. EUR 37,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, and manner of carving. Note the nearly identical size (7.5 cm). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU. 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.

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