Beschreibung:

A RARE SCULPTURAL STANDING BIRD IN EXQUISITE WHITE JADE Katalognummer: JAK0318-015 Jade China Late Shang, Early Western Zhou, c. 1200-1000 BC 玉鳥 - 商代晚期到西周早期, 公元前 1200-1000年 HEIGHT 6.8 – WIDTH 3.7 高 6,8 厘米 -寬 3.7 厘米 This rare sculptural bird in exquisite white jade has a lovely rounded shape with delicately incised lines to delineate its main features. The bird is represented as standing, with its head bent over so that its beak rests on the chest. The wings, marked with curved incised lines, adhere tightly to the body and their joined tips protrude slightly from the back. This is the only “sharp” point of the entire, very elegant and gentle contour of the carving. The jade is highly polished with only very few impurities, on one side and in the head. Parts of the stone have altered over time and turned into opaque white patches that create a pleasant contrast with the highly polished jade. The carving is provided with three holes, one drilled at the top centre, in the neck of the bird, and two in the lower area near the feet. Jade birds carved in this exact stance are known mostly from later Shang period finds, such as those discovered in the famous tomb of Fu Hao (c.1200 BC) at Anyang, Henan province, reproduced in Yang Boda, Zhongguo meishu quanji: yuqi 中國美术全集 - 玉器 (Chinese works of art series: jade) vol.9, Beijing 1986, nos.66 and 67. However, the softer contour and the almost sculptural quality suggest a Western Zhou date for this carving. Startpreis 起始價: € 2.500 Schätzpreis 估計/估算: € 5.000 Expertise: Prof. Filippo Salviati From an Italian collection All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and described by Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s. The microscopic images made available here, show that the weathering of the jade has occurred over a long period of time. Furthermore in the magnification one can reconstruct the workings of the jade. The two aforementioned criteria are exactly what counts in the authentication of archaic jades – the difficult and elaborate workmanship by hand and the subsequent weathering of the jade over centuries. The microscopic enlargements show how the patterns were ground out in many small steps, sometimes over months, and that the weathering actually occurs above the carvings, meaning it occurred after the jade was completed.