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A Chinese purple jade 9ct gold pendant - carved with bats and with Chinese characters to the centre, diameter 3.5cm, together with a green jade yellow metal mounted pendant.

A jade lace two piece dress by Lydia of London - with a jade satin lining and bow to waist, the jacket with fur cuffs, size 42.

A JADE AND DIAMOND RINGClaw set with the oval jade cabochon, within a diamond surround, mounted with baguette and circular cut diamonds, detailed Tailoi 14 K, numbered 4127c, ring size O 1/2, gross weight 6.8 grams.CONDITION REPORTOverall very good conditionJade has NOT been tested to determine quality The ring facemeasures 19mm wide, 21mm high and 10.5mm highPlease note thatBellmans does not guarantee the working order or accuracy of any clocks andwatches sold.

A white metal cable link chain, 170cm, with three attached white metal pendant seal fobs, each set a coloured stone; together with a yellow metal mounted jade pendant. (2)

A YELLOW JADE 'FISH' PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 11th-9th century BC. Of slender rectangular form with a single aperture in the mouth. The mouth and tail flattened with carved gills and fins. Translucent stone of a yellow hue with shades of green, brown patches, icy and cloudy inclusions, and areas of opaque calcification. Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, and thence by descent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, signs of weathering and erosion, nicks, calcification, minor nibbling.Weight: 8 gDimensions: Length 10.3 cm Literature comparison:Compare a related jade fish silhouette, 8 cm long, dated 11th-10th century BC, in the Harvard Art Museum, object number 1943.50.409.A.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's New York, 13 September 2019, lot 818Price: USD 12,500 or approx. EUR 14,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A greyish-green, jade fish-form pendant, Western Zhou Dynasty, 10th-9th century BCExpert remark: Note the slightly larger size (12 cm), the losses to the fins, and the additional detail to the carving. 西周魚形玉佩中國，西元前十一至九世紀。玉魚成平直狀，吻部斜伸向前下方、分尾斜向後下方，以陰刻線飾眼、尾、鱗片。略帶半透明的黃色石料，帶有青色斑紋和絮狀物，白色鈣化區域。 來源：Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位法國冶金工程師。他畢業於史丹佛大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。 品相：狀態良好，大面積磨損，有缺損、風化、侵蝕、刻痕、鈣化和輕微的磕損。 重量：8 克 尺寸：長 10.3 厘米 文獻比較： 比較一件相近的約西元前十一至十世紀魚形玉佩，長8 厘米，收藏於哈佛藝術博物館，館藏編號1943.50.409.A。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年9月13日，lot 818 價格：USD 12,500（相當於今日EUR 14,000） 描述：A greyish-green jade fish-form pendant，Western Zhou Dynasty，10th-9th century BC 專家評論：請注意尺寸較大 (12 厘米)，鰭的部分缺損，雕刻精細。

A DARK GREEN JADE 'FISH' PENDANT, SHANG DYNASTYChina, 1600-1046 BC. Of slender form with a single aperture in the mouth for suspension. Mouth, eyes, and gills boldly carved with detailed incisions on the fins, a single character etched into one side of the fish. The partly translucent stone is of a deep-green tone with darker shadings, giving it an almost black sheen.Inscription: To one side, 'gu' ('archaic').Provenance: From an old private collection in Budapest, Hungary, acquired during the first half of the 20th century.Condition: Very good condition with natural wear, commensurate with age. Some weathering and erosion, calcification, minor nibbling.Weight: 12.1 gDimensions: Length 7 cm Expert's note: Half of the stone is translucent while the other is opaque. With natural sunlight shining through, the translucent half is of a dark green color, bespeckled with dark brown flecks that create the appearance of fish scales.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27 November 2020, lot 696Price: HKD 52,920 or approx. EUR 6,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A green jade 'fish' pendant, Shang dynastyExpert remark: Note the size (5.9 cm). 商代墨綠色魚形玉飾中國，公元前1600-1046 年。細長魚形，嘴裡有一個用於懸掛的孔。魚嘴、眼睛、鰓以及鰭上有陰線雕刻。魚背刻有一個'古'字。局部半透明的深綠色調玉料，帶有較深的陰影，呈現近乎黑色的光澤。 來源：匈牙利布達佩斯私人舊藏，購於二十世紀上半葉。 品相：狀況非常好，自然磨損，部分風化、結殼、鈣化、輕微磕損。 重量：12.1 克 尺寸：長 7 厘米 專家注釋：玉料一半是半透明的，而另一半是不透明的。在自然陽光的下，半透明的一半呈深綠色，上面點綴著深褐色的斑點，呈現出如魚鱗般的外觀。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：香港蘇富比，2020年11月27日，lot 696 價格：HKD 52,920（相當於今日EUR 6,500） 描述：商代青玉魚形玉飾 專家評論：請注意尺寸(5.9厘米)。

A PALE YELLOW JADE DOUBLE-HOLE ORNAMENT PLAQUE, HONGSHAN CULTUREChina, Neolithic period, 3500-2500 BC. With two primary perforations, the two semi-circular shapes connect in the middle. Four funnel shaped piercings, two on each half, drilled through for suspension. The smoothly polished, translucent stone is of a fine pale-yellow and celadon tone with russet and chestnut-brown inclusions. Areas of opaque creamy-white calcifications interspersed with gray speckles.Provenance: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite, acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate, as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war, substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley's death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, with expected wear and minor weathering, small nicks which have smoothened over time. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.Weight: 70.6 g Dimensions: Length 13.5 cm With an associated metal stand. (2) This type of jade plaque, initially modelled with only two perforations, is believed to originate from the Xinkailiu culture (c. 5300-4800 BC) and continued to be produced in subsequent Northeast prehistoric sites including those of the Hongshan culture. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related jade pendant, dated to the late Neolithic period, see the Complete Collection of Jade Unearthed in China, Volume 2, page 210. Compare a related pendant in the form of a disk, 11.1 cm, dated to the Neolithic period, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S2012.9.66.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 35 Price: HKD 226,800 or approx. EUR 29,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A celadon jade three-hole plaque, Neolithic period, Hongshan culture Expert remark: Compare the related form and color of the jade. Note the three apertures and smaller size (8.8 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's Paris, 10 June 2021, lot 88 Price: 11,340 or approx. EUR 12,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A calcified jade double-holed ornament, Neolithic period, Hongshan culture Expert remark: Note the similar shape and two primary perforations. Note the smaller size (7.6 cm).紅山文化雙孔青玉雙聯玉璧中國，新石器時代，西元前3500-2500 年。有兩個主要穿孔，四個小孔，用於懸掛。表面光滑，半透明玉石呈精美的淺黃色和青白色，帶有赤褐色和栗棕色內沁，不透明的乳白色鈣化區域散佈著灰色斑點。來源：Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939)收藏，他逝世后由其遺孀Irene Beasley保存；Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964)，約於1939年購於上述收藏，之後在同一家族保存至今。Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) 是一位英國人類學家和博物館館長，他在二十世紀初建立了一個重要的民族志收藏，現在收藏在英國的各個博物館中。Beasley和他的妻子Irene一起建立了Cranmore民族志博物館，該博物館最終收藏了 6,000 多件民族志方面的物品。Beasley 收集了來自歐洲各地的物品，從拍賣行和當地博物館購買以擴大收藏範圍，其中包含來自太平洋、亞洲、非洲和美國西北部的資料。Beasley為人類學期刊撰寫了大量文章，被公認爲是該領域的專家。他於 1939 年去世，他的藏品幸虧在戰爭期間被存放在大英博物館裏，而Cranmore博物館被轟炸摧毀。戰後，大部分藏品被轉移到大英博物館、愛丁堡皇家博物館、劍橋大學考古與人類學博物館、Pitt Rivers博物館和Merseyside County博物館。其他收藏，例如現在的拍品，由他的遺孀出售，在她 1974 年去世後，由他們的女兒出售。Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) 曾是Cranmore 民族志博物館重要支持人，也曾是 Harry Beasley的好友。在Harry Beasley去世不久，他從Irene Beasley 處購買了一些收藏，包括此件拍品。品相：狀況非常好，有磨損和輕微風化，局部劃痕已平滑，具有天然內沁和裂縫的玉石，其中一些可能隨著時間的推移發展成細小的裂縫。重量：70.6 克尺寸：長 13.5 厘米金屬支架 (2)這種玉匾最初只有兩個穿孔，據信起源於新開流文化（約公元前5300-4800年），並在隨後的東北史前遺址（包括紅山文化）中繼續生產。文獻比較:比較一件非常相近的新石器時代玉佩，見《中國出土玉器全集》，卷二，頁210。比較一件相近的新石器時代玉碟，11.1 厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號S2012.9.66。拍賣結果比較:形制：相近拍賣：香港蘇富比，2020年10月9日，lot 35價格：HKD 226,800（相當於今日EUR 29,000）描述：新石器時代紅山文化青白玉三聯璧專家評論：比較相近的外形和玉石顏色。請注意有三個孔和尺寸較小 (8.8 厘米)。拍賣結果比較:形制：相近拍賣：巴黎蘇富比，2021年6月10日，lot 88價格：EUR11,340（相當於今日EUR 12,000）描述：新石器時代紅山文化雙聯玉璧專家評論：請注意相似的外形和兩個穿孔。請注意尺寸較小 (7.6 厘米)。

A JADE 'FISH' PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO EARLY WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 1200-1100 BC. Of slender form with a long snout, pierced with a small aperture, the body neatly incised to represent the gills, fins, and tail of the fish. The opaque stone of a mottled pale gray, creamy yellow, and dark brown color. Good, ancient polish with an unctuous feel overall.Provenance: From an old private collection in Budapest, Hungary, acquired during the first half of the 20th century.Condition: Good condition with signs of aged wear. Minor nibbling. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.Weight: 11.7 g Dimensions: 8.4 cm Literature comparison: Compare two similarly flat-nosed fish pendants with incised fins and tail in the British Museum, registration nos. 1937,0416.75-76 and 2022,3034.130. 商末至西周魚形玉飾中國，公元前1200-1100 年。細長，長鼻可辨，上有一小孔，表面雕刻線條清晰，可見魚鰓、鰭和尾巴。玉料呈現斑駁的淺灰色、黃色和深棕色，表面抛光良好，整體瑩潤。 來源：匈牙利布達佩斯私人舊藏，購於二十世紀上半葉。 品相：狀況良好，有老化跡象，輕微磕損，具有天然紋理的石料，其中一些可能已經發展成細小的裂紋。 重量：11.7 克 尺寸：8.4 厘米 文獻比較： 比較兩件相似長鼻，並刻有鰭和尾巴的魚形玉飾，收藏於大英博物館，收藏編號1937,0416.75-76和2022,3034.130。

AN ARCHAIC CEREMONIAL JADE BLADE, YUE, NEOLITHIC PERIOD TO SHANG DYNASTYPublished:Henry Trubner and Tsugio Mikami, Ancient Chinese Arts in the Idemitsu Collection, Tokyo, 1989, no. 108.Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2004, no. 86.China, c. 3500-1500 BC. The slender slab tapers toward the back where there is a small hole drilled from one side. One long edge and the cutting edge are beveled, and now slightly worn. A longitudinal rib made by the saw runs along one face. The translucent stone is a deep olive-green tone.Provenance: Idemitsu Museum, Tokyo, Japan, prior to 1989. Roger Keverne, London, United Kingdom, 2004. Private English collection, acquired from the above. The Idemitsu Museum of Arts was opened in 1966 as an exhibition hall for the private collection of Idemitsu Sazo. Idemitsu Sazo (1885-1981) was a Japanese businessman, founder of Idemitsu Kosan, a petroleum company, and an important art collector. He acquired his first work of art at the age of 20, which was a painting of the Chinese monk Putai by Sengai Gibon. In later years, his collection grew, culminating in a large number of Chinese ceramics, paintings, jades, and other works of art. Roger Keverne served as the Chairman of Asian Art in London and as the President of BADA. He began his 50-year career with Spink & Son, rising to head the Asian department by the age of only 28. He left Spink in 1992 to start his own gallery together with Miranda Clarke, his wife and business partner, in Mayfair, London, which eventually closed its doors in June 2020.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, minor signs of weathering and erosion, tiny nibbles. Minute chips to edges, one at the top has been smoothened probably millennia ago. The jade with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.Weight: 68.1 g Dimensions: Length 16.7 cm Literature comparison:Compare a related jade blade in The Hubei Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, The Panlongcheng Site: Report of Archaeological Excavation from 1963-1994, pl. CXVII, fig. 6. Compare a related jade blade illustrated in Liu and Capon's book Masks of Mystery: Ancient Chinese Bronzes from Sanxingdui, no. 36, p. 104. Compare a related jade blade excavated by the Institute of Archaeology, CASS, illustrated in Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, pl. 20, fig, 1. Compare a closely related jade blade, 19.5 cm long, dated to the Neolithic period, in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums, accession number 1943.50.113, illustrated in Ancient Chinese Jades from the Greenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, no. 1, pp. 4-5. Compare a related jade blade illustrated ibid., no. 202, pp. 159.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2019, lot 2717 Price: HKD 81,250 or approx. EUR 10,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A dark green jade axe, Neolithic period, circa 3500 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and color as well as the similar wear. Note the larger size (28.8 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's New York, 19 March 2015, lot 545 Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 19,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A mottled, blackish-green opaque jade axe, late Neolithic period, 3rd-early 2nd millennium BC Expert remark: Compare the related form. Note the darker color and the larger size (23.8 cm).

A WHITE AND YELLOW JADE AX, FU, NEOLITHIC PERIODChina, c. 3rd millennium. The quite thick yet translucent blade is elegantly shaped and of rectangular form, flaring slightly toward the sharp beveled edge, pierced from the front side with a hafting hole. The jade is of a fine white tone with yellow and russet shadings as well as cloudy inclusions, that look like lambent flames when held against the sunlight (see detail image).Provenance: Galerie Beer, Brussels, 20 June 1951 (according to an ancient family ledger inspected by Cabinet Portier, Paris, France, during their appraisal of the complete de Strycker estate; this ledger remains in the possession of the de Strycker family and may not be copied). Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Condition: Good condition with wear, minor signs of weathering and erosions, minor chips and losses to the edges. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks. Good ancient polish with an unctuous feel overall.Weight: 108.1 gDimensions: Length 9.2 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related brown jade ax, 16.3 cm long, dated c. 3300-2250 BC, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1916.498. Compare a related green jade ax, 15.5 cm long, dated to the Neolithic period, in the British Museum, registration number 1937,0416.16. Compare a related gray jade ax, 13.3 cm long, dated between 3000-2500 BC, in the British Museum, registration number 1991,0223.2.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2019, lot 2740Price: HKD 437,500 or approx. EUR 55,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A jade axe, Longshan culture, circa 2500-2000 BCExpert remark: Note the larger size (13.9 cm).新石器時代玉斧中國，西元前三千年。此斧白玉質，局部帶沁，為略呈扁平的梯形器，頂部截平，鑽有一孔，可縛紮執柄，下端為刃，兩面斜削呈弧凸形，周身光素無紋。整件玉質滋潤柔和，光澤細膩，手藝精良。來源：布魯塞爾Beer藝廊，1951年6月20日 (根據法國巴黎Portier內閣在評估整個de Strycker莊園時的一份家族老帳本； 該帳本仍由 de Strycker 家族所有，不得複製)。Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，購於上述藝廊，在同一家族保存至今。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位法國冶金工程師。他畢業於史丹佛大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。品相：狀況良好，有磨損、輕微風化和侵蝕跡象、邊緣有輕微磕損和缺口。玉料上有天然裂縫，有的可能發展成細小裂縫。整體細膩盈潤。重量：108.1 克尺寸：長 9.2 釐米文獻比較：比較一件相近的約西元前3300-2250年玉斧，長16.3 釐米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號F1916.498。比較一件相近的新石器時代青玉斧，長15.5 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1937,0416.16。比較一件相近的西元前3000-2500年灰玉斧，長13.3 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1991,0223.2。拍賣結果比較：形制：相近拍賣：香港佳士得，2019年11月27日，lot 2740價格：HKD 437,500（相當於今日EUR 55,500）描述：龍山文化玉鉞專家評論：請注意尺寸較大 (13.9 厘米)。

A PALE CELADON JADE 'DRAGON AND PHOENIX' ORNAMENT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, c. 1100-771 BC. Of slightly tapering shape, carved on both sides with a phoenix perched on top of a coiling dragon, the contours and details rendered with double-line grooves. The translucent stone is of a pale celadon tone with patches of a cream-white tone and dark veins. Provenance: From the collection of David Taylor, and thence by descent within the Taylor family. David Taylor (1876-1958) was a notable British businessman who lived in Belfast and owned various commercial buildings along with a substantial portfolio of stocks and shares. During his travels to China in the early 20th century, he acquired many jades, including the present lot. His grandfather, Sir David Taylor, was born in 1815 in Perth, Scotland, and moved to Belfast in 1842, serving as its Mayor in 1867 and for two consecutive terms in 1883 and 1884. Condition: Fine overall condition, commensurate with age. Few tiny nicks, distinct signs of weathering and erosion, with the surface showing a silky matte surface as a result of long-time burial. The stone with natural fissures. Microscopic remnants of ancient pigment. Weight: 34.3 g Dimensions: Length 9.6 cm The present ornament displays an elegant combination of two zoomorphic elements, depicting a phoenix perched on top of a coiling dragon, the contours rendered in double-line grooves, a style characteristic of the Western Zhou period. Literature comparison:A similar example depicting the same motif but of slightly different shape, is in the National Palace Museum Collection (acquisition no. gouyu 611), illustrated in Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth, Chinese Jades through the Ages, Taipei, 2012, pl. 5-4-6. Another example depicting similar motifs was excavated in Rujiazhuang, its line drawing illustrated in Teng Shu-p'ing, Collectors' Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1999, p. 35, pl. 30:5. A rectangular plaque depicting similar motifs is in the Palace Museum Collection, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji 2- Shang & Western Zhou, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pl. 242. Auction result comparison: Type: Near identical Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 29 November 2017, lot 2743 Price: HKD 2,375,000 or approx. EUR 307,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A very rare pale celadon jade 'dragon and phoenix' ornament, Western Zhou dynasty Expert remark: Compare the near identical form and decoration. Note the related size (10.5 cm). 西周青白玉龍鳳紋柄形器 中國，公元前1100-771 年。半透明青白玉質，帶有白色絮狀物和深色紋理。器作近梯形的片狀柄形器，厚薄不勻。器之二面均琢龍鳳紋，輪廓與細節以雙線槽呈現。 來源：David Taylor收藏，自此一直保存在Taylor家族中。David Taylor (1876-1958) 曾是一位著名的英國商人，住在貝爾法斯特，擁有各種商業建築以及大量股票和股份。二十世紀初，他到中國旅行時購買了許多玉器，包括現在的這件。他的祖父戴維·泰勒爵士 1815 年出生於蘇格蘭Perth，1842 年移居Belfast，1867年擔任市長，1883 年和 1884 年連任。 品相：整體狀況良好，與年齡相稱。有少量微小的刻痕、風化和明顯的侵蝕跡象。由於長期埋在地下，表面啞光，非常光滑。具有天然紋理的玉料，古時顏色殘餘。 重量：34.3 克 尺寸：長9.6 厘米本件柄形器將兩種獸形元素巧妙結合，鳳凰盤龍，輪廓呈雙線凹槽，具有西周時期的風格特徵。 文獻比較：比較一件相似的例子，收藏於國立故宮博物院，描繪相同的主題，但形狀略有不同（收購編號：勾玉611），見《敬天極物：院藏玉器菁華展》，台北，2012年，圖版5-4-6。另一件相近的例子，出土於汝家莊，見鄧淑蘋，《羣玉別藏》，國立故宮博物院，台北，1999年，頁 35，圖30:5。一件相似主題的長方形佩，故宮博物院藏，參見《中國玉器全集2-商和西周》，石家莊，1993年，圖版242。 拍賣結果比較：形制：幾乎相同拍賣：香港佳士得，2017年11月29日，lot 2743價格：HKD 2,375,000（相當今日EUR 307,000）描述：西周青白玉龍鳳紋柄形器專家評論：比較幾乎相同的形式和裝飾。 請注意相關尺寸（10.5 厘米）。

A DEEP CELADON JADE 'FISH' PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 11th-10th century BC. Of flattened form, finely carved as a fish with a curved body and round eyes, the long dorsal fin rising along the spine and two smaller fins extending from the stomach, the mouth with an aperture for suspension. The semi-translucent stone of a deep celadon tone with areas of white calcification and pale russet clouds.Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, and thence by descent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, minuscule nibbling to edges.Weight: 7.1 gDimensions: Length 7.3 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related fish-shaped pendant, 10.1 cm long, dated c. 1200-901 BC, in the British Museum, registration number 1937,0416.82. Compare a similar pendant in the form of a fish, 6.2 cm long, dated c. 1300-1050 BC, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.473.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby's New York, 10 September 2019, lot 37Price: USD 17,500 or approx. EUR 19,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A calcified jade 'fish pendant, Shang-Western Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Note the slight larger size (8.8 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's New York, 13 September 2019, lot 823Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 27,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A pale yellowish-green, jade fish-form pendant, Western Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Note the slightly smaller size (6.4 cm). 商末至西周青玉魚形佩中國，西元前十一至十世紀。玉魚成平直狀，吻部斜伸向前下方、分尾斜向後下方，以陰刻線飾眼、尾、鱗片。略帶半透明的青色石料，帶有青白色斑紋和白色鈣化物。 來源：Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位法國冶金工程師。他畢業於史丹佛大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。 Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。 他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。 品相：狀況極好，有磨損、風化和侵蝕的跡象、結殼、邊緣微小磕損。 重量：7.1 克 尺寸：長 7.3 厘米 文獻比較： 比較一件相近的約西元前1200-901年魚形玉佩，長10.1 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1937,0416.82。比較一件相似的約西元前1300-1050年魚形玉佩，長6.2 厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號S1987.473。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年9月10日，lot 37 價格：USD 17,500（相當於今日EUR 19,500） 描述：商至西周玉雕魚形珮 專家評論：請注意尺寸較大 (8.8 厘米)。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年9月13日，lot 823 價格：USD 25,000（相當於今日EUR 27,500） 描述：西周 青黃玉魚形珮 專家評論：請注意尺寸較小(6.4 厘米)。

A JADE 'DRAGON' BI DISK, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 10th-9th century BC. The jade disk is carved on both sides with profiles of dragon heads and joined by scroll motifs. The contours and details are rendered with double-line grooves. The translucent stone is of a pale celadon tone with russet and brown shadings and veins.Provenance: From an old private collection in Budapest, Hungary, acquired during the first half of the 20th century. Condition: Good condition commensurate with age with some ancient wear, minor chips and nibbles, signs of weathering and erosion. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks over time.Weight: 177.3 gDimensions: Diameter 14.5 cm Literature comparison:Compare a related jade bi, 17 cm diameter, dated to the Spring and Autumn period, ca. 7th-6th century BC, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.674.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's Hong Kong, 28 November 2018, lot 2730Price: HKD 437,500 or approx. EUR 57,000, converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A celadon jade 'dragon' disc, bi, mid-Western Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Compare the closely related circular form and decoration with similar double-line grooves. Note the much smaller size (6.1 cm). 西周龍紋玉璧中國，西元前十至九世紀。玉璧兩面陰線雙槽雕刻龍紋，身飾羽形斑紋，長卷尾。青綠色玉質，局部有白色和褐色沁斑。 來源：匈牙利布達佩斯私人舊藏，購於上世紀上半葉。 品相：狀況良好，有一些磨損、輕微的磕損，以及風化和侵蝕的跡象。玉料有天然內沁和紋理，有些隨著時間的推移已經發展成細小裂紋。 重量：177.3 克 尺寸：直徑14.5 釐米 文獻比較： 比較一件相近的約公元七至六世紀春秋時期玉璧，直徑17 厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，收藏編號 S1987.674。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：香港佳士得，2018年11月28日，lot 2730 價格：HKD 437,500（相當於今日EUR 57,000） 描述：西周中期青玉龍紋璧 專家評論：比較非常相近圓形形狀和裝飾，具有類似的雙線凹槽。請注意尺寸較小(6.1 厘米)。

A GREEN JADE 'FISH' PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 11th-10th century BC. Flattened plaque finely carved in the form of a fish with an elegantly curved tail and long snout, finely incised with round eyes as well as gills and fins. Slightly translucent stone of a dark green hue with cloudy yellow inclusions, russet patches, and gray calcification.Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, and thence by descent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, signs of weathering and erosion, scratches, chips, encrustations. Remnants of an aperture for suspension near the mouth.Weight: 11.4 gDimensions: Length 12.3 cm Literature comparison:Compare a related jade fish, 12 cm long, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 50.46.361. Compare a related fish pendant, 11 cm long, dated c. 1100-950 BC, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number FE.141-1974.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2020, lot 2271Price: HKD 60,000 or approx. EUR 7,400 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A greenish-white, jade fish-form pendant, Western Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Note the much smaller size (9.5 cm). 商末至西周魚形玉佩中國，西元前十一至十世紀。玉魚成平直狀，吻部斜伸向前下方、分尾斜向後下方，以陰刻線飾眼、尾、鱗片。略帶半透明的青色石料，帶有黃色內沁、黃褐色斑紋和灰色鈣化物。 來源：Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位法國冶金工程師。他畢業於史丹佛大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。 Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。 他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。 品相：狀態良好，大面積磨損、缺損、風化和侵蝕跡象、劃痕、磕損、結殼。嘴部附近有一個用於懸掛的孔。 重量：11.4 克 尺寸：長 12.3 釐米 文獻比較： 比較一件相近的西周魚形玉佩，長12 釐米，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術博物館，館藏編號50.46. 361。比較一件相近的約西元前1100-950年 魚形玉佩，長11 厘米，收藏於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，館藏編號FE.141-1974。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：香港佳士得，2020年11月30日，lot 2271 價格：HKD 60,000（相當於今日EUR 7,400） 描述：西周青白玉魚形珮 專家評論：請注意尺寸較小(9.5 厘米)。

A PALE YELLOW JADE 'TIGER' PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 1046-771 BC. Of elongated flattened form, the arc-shaped pendant worked in the form of a crouching tiger with legs tucked beneath the body and a furcated tail that curls upwards, pierced at the snout and tail. The translucent stone of a pale yellow tone with hues of pale celadon, cloudy inclusions and areas of white calcification. Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. E.3.21A-H. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. It was no doubt fortuitous that Dr. Wou's years of collecting coincided with an abundant availability of exceptional Chinese art on the London market. From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s he was able to form a collection of well over 1,000 works that together represented virtually every category of Chinese art. At the heart of Dr. Wou's drive to collect was a burning desire to preserve the relics of China's rich historical past scattered across Europe, and to promote Chinese art and culture. It is unclear when Dr. Wou conceived the idea to create a place to house his collection, but in 1968, he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years the museum became a 'must see' destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China's glorious history. Condition: Old wear, some weathering, soil encrustations, surface alterations and traces of use, all as expected. Minor nibbling. The jade had broken into three pieces and was reassembled, with associated small losses.Weight: 18.7 g Dimensions: Length 9.9 cmExpert's note (added 20.2.2023): Bi disks of the Neolithic period lost their attraction to early Western Zhou dynasty nobility, leading to the repurposing of the circular bi into curved pendants that could be reworked by Western and Eastern Zhou craftsmen into attractive new forms. Such curved pendants, often in the form of birds or tigers, are frequently found amongst the artifacts from the tombs of Zhou period royalty (see image section). See Qian Yang's thesis: The Circulation of Jades in Early China (Late Neolithic – Eastern Zhou, ca. 4500 -221 B.C.). Literature comparison:Compare a related jade pendant depicting a tiger, 7 cm, dated late Shang to Western Zhou dynasty, in the British Museum, museum number 1945,1017.118.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 2 April 2019, lot 3435Price: HKD 93,750 or approx. EUR 12,000, converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A jade 'tiger' pendant, Western Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Compare the related motif, form, and pierced ends.

A PALE GREEN JADE 'PIG-DRAGON', ZHULONG, NEOLITHIC PERIOD, HONGSHAN CULTUREChina, c. 4000-3000 BC. Of iconic form with a coiled body and superbly rendered head, subtly detailed with round eyes, a wrinkled snout, and flared nostrils, the neck pierced with an aperture for suspension. The partly translucent, smoothly polished stone of a pale green color with russet patches, cloudy inclusions, and dark veins.Provenance: From an old private collection in Budapest, Hungary, acquired during the first half of the 20th century.Condition: Good condition with expected old wear, traces of use, natural erosion, and minuscule nibbling here and there.Weight: 86 gDimensions: Diameter 6.2 cm Considered to represent the prototype of depictions of mythological dragons in later Chinese art, Zhulong are some of the most interesting creations of the Hongshan culture, and evidence the existence of a complex belief system in supernatural forces. Jade Zhulong have been recovered at various tomb sites in Northern China, often placed on the chest of the tomb occupants, suggesting they were worn as chest ornaments.Literature comparison:For other examples of pig-dragons carved in a similar style with a single aperture, compare with a dark green jade example, 16.6 cm high, unearthed from Yangcheng, Bairin Right Banner, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, now in the Bairin Right Banner Museum, illustrated ibid., p. 105, no. 9; a celadon one, 15 cm high, in the Liaoning Provincial Institute of Archaeology and Cultural Relics, illustrated in Hongshan wenhua yuqi jianshang, Beijing, 2014, p. 94, no. 1; and a third example, 13 cm high, from the Irving Collection, sold at Christie's New York, 21 March 2019, lot 1180.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby's Paris, 10 June 2021, lot 83Price: EUR 327,100 or approx. EUR 363,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: An important celadon and russet jade 'pig-dragon', Zhulong, Neolithic period, Hongshan cultureExpert remark: Note the size of this Zhulong (8.5 cm).Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Sotheby's Paris, 10 June 2021, lot 79Price: EUR 50,400 or approx. EUR 56,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A rare and subtly carved celadon jade 'pig-dragon', Zhulong, Neolithic period, Hongshan cultureExpert remark: Compare the size (6 cm). 新石器時代紅山文化青白玉豬龍中國，西元前 4000-3000 年。描繪的是一條盤踞的 "豬龍"，切口代表動物的嘴，而切口上方的雕刻線條則顯示了豬的鼻子，圓鼓鼓的眼睛被一個大的凹槽突出並包圍著，背面有一個穿孔，作為懸掛孔。半透明的玉料，拋光良好，呈淡青色，有少量斑駁的白色絮狀物。 來源：匈牙利布達佩斯私人舊藏，購於上世紀上半葉。 品相：品相良好，有磨損和使用痕跡、自然侵蝕，到處都是微小的嗑損。 重量：86 克 尺寸：直徑 6.2 釐米 豬龍是中國藝術中龍的原型，它是紅山文化中最有趣的創作之一，顯示了對超自然力量的複雜信仰體系的存在。中國北方多處墓葬出土玉豬龍，多置於墓主胸前，推測為胸飾。文獻比較： 類似風格的單孔豬龍玉件，與內蒙古自治區巴林右旗陽城出土的深綠色玉石，高16.6厘米，現藏白林右旗博物館相比， 插圖同上，頁105，編號9； 一件青玉，高15厘米，遼寧省考古文物研究所藏，圖見《紅山文化玉器鑑賞》，北京，2014年，頁94，編號1。第三件玉器高 13 厘米，來自歐文收藏，於 2019 年 3 月 21 日在紐約佳士得拍賣行售出，lot 1180。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：巴黎蘇富比，2021年6月10日，lot 83 價格：EUR 327,100（相當於今日EUR 363,000） 描述：新石器時代紅山文化青白玉豬龍 專家評論：請注意豬龍的尺寸 (8.5厘米)。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：巴黎蘇富比， 2021年6月10日, lot 79 價格：EUR 50,400（相當於今日EUR 56,000） 描述：新石器時代紅山文化青白玉豬龍 專家評論：比較尺寸(6厘米)。

A SMALL JADE 'DRAGON HEAD' PENDANT, WARRING STATES PERIODChina, 475-221 BC. Carved in the form of a powerful dragon head profile, the pendant has a single aperture drilled through the nose of the creature for suspension. The dragon with stylized curls and an open mouth finely incised. The smooth, partly translucent stone is of a pale green hue with russet inclusions and milky-white calcification throughout.Provenance: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite, acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley's death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age, with expected wear and weathering. Some small nicks which have smoothened over time. The stone with inclusions and natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks with time. Note that this was most likely once the top of a Huang, which broke to pieces, and has since been repurposed, probably already in ancient times.Weight: 3.1 g Dimensions: Width 2.4 cm Literature comparison:Compare a related 'dragon head' jade pendant, Huang, at Christie's Hong Kong, 3 December 2021, lot 2737. Compare the related dragon head with an identical aperture through the nose, 9.6 cm long, dated to the Warring States period, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1931.16.

A PALE CELADON AND RUSSET JADE 'BIRD' PENDANT, LATE SHANG DYNASTYChina, 1300-1050 BC. Flat stone worked in the form of a bird in profile, perched on its claws, with a distinct round beak pierced with a circular aperture for suspension, the head surmounted by a crest, and finely incised with plumage. Semi translucent stone of pale celadon color with russet inclusions and areas of white calcification.Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. E.3.21A-H. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. It was without doubt fortuitous that Dr. Wou's years of collecting coincided with an abundant availability of exceptional Chinese art on the London market. From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s, he was able to form a collection of well over 1,000 works that together represented virtually every category of Chinese art. At the heart of Dr. Wou's drive to collect was a burning desire to preserve the relics of China's rich historical past scattered across Europe, and to promote Chinese art and culture. It is unclear when Dr. Wou conceived the idea to create a place to house his collection, but in 1968 he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years, the museum became a 'must see' destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China's glorious history. Condition: Very good condition with expected old wear and weathering, little nibbling, and minuscule chips.Weight: 3.2 g Dimensions: Height 2.7 cm Literature comparison:Compare a related jade pendant of a bird, late Shang dynasty, 3.7 cm, in the Smithsonian Museum, accession number F1979.25.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby's New York, 22 September 2020, lot 248Estimate: USD 8,000 or approx. EUR 8,700 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A calcified jade 'bird' pendant, Shang dynasty or laterExpert remark: Compare the related flat form, pierced beak, and incision work. Note the slightly larger size (3.7 cm) and different color of the stone. Also note that this lot is possibly of a later date.

AN ARCHAISTIC YELLOW JADE 'DRAGON AND PHEONIX' PENDANT, SONG TO MING DYNASTYChina, 960-1644. Of flattened form, finely carved in openwork on both sides as a dragon shown in profile, intertwined with a phoenix, the body issuing a further bird head. The surface decorated with dots and comma scrolls, some of which are interconnected. The smooth, superbly polished, translucent stone is of a fine yellow tone with pale brown shadings.Provenance: Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. One side with an old collection label. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Condition: Very good condition with only minor old wear. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairlines. Magnificent ancient polish with a decent sheen overall.Weight: 48.3 gDimensions: Length 10.7 cm Literature comparison:For the prototype to the present lot, see a related jade 'dragon and phoenix' pendant, 6 cm long, dated to the Western Han dynasty, at Christie's New York, 25 March 2022, lot 706.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's New York, 25 September 2020, lot 1766Price: USD 11,875 or approx. EUR 13,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A pale gray jade archaistic 'dragon' pendant, Song- Ming dynastyExpert remark: Note the size (12 cm). 宋至明黃玉龍鳳紋佩中國，960-1644年。玉佩雕刻成彎曲的龍形，龍首回望，龍身浮雕雲紋，出鳳首，龍鳳相纏。黃色調的半透明石料，邊緣帶有黃褐色陰影。 來源：Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，在同一家族保存至今。一面可見一個收藏標籤。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位法國冶金工程師。他畢業於斯坦福大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。 他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。 品相：狀況非常好，只有輕微的舊磨損。 石頭上有天然裂縫，其中一些可能已發展成細小的髮絲。華麗的古代拋光，整體光澤良好。 重量：48.3 克 尺寸：長 10.7 厘米 文獻比較： 一件相近的西漢灰白玉龍鳳紋珮，長6 厘米，見紐約佳士得，2022年3月25日，lot 706。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：紐約佳士得，2020年9月25日，lot 1766 價格：USD 11,875（相當於今日EUR 13,000） 描述：宋/明玉雕仿古龍形珮 專家評論：請注意尺寸(12 厘米)。

AN IMPORTANT AND RARE JADE 'MASK' PENDANT, HUANG, LIANGZHU CULTUREChina, circa 3300-2200 BC. Finely decorated to all sides and edges with neatly applied incision work depicting cosmic cloud scrolls, the present Huang has a prominently carved godhead mask located at the center of the front side, just beneath a zoomorphic bird head with a pointed beak at the top. Both wings are pierced with funneled apertures for suspension. The opaque stone is of a brown hue with beige clouding and dark brown inclusions.Provenance: From the Sir Percival David collection, according to an old paper label reading 'The Percival Collection, of Chinese Jades' and manually inscribed 'Zoomorphic Figure'. Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley, probably acquired from the above between 1923 and 1939, and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite, acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Sir Percival David (1892-1964) was a Bombay-born British financier who is best known as a scholar and collector of Chinese ceramics, postal stamps, and jades. He became enamored with Chinese art after his visit to China in 1923 and started the Percival David Foundation to promote the research of Chinese art and culture. His collection grew to an astounding 1,700 pieces, which are now on display at the British Museum. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war, substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley's death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot.Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear and weathering, as expected, with rubbing and abrasion to the fine incision work, and some nicks and chips which have smoothened over time. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. Calcification throughout.Weight: 73.7 g Dimensions: Length 10.3 cm With an associated metal stand. (2)Huang were a part of the elite adornments during the Neolithic period, especially within Hongshan, Liangzhu, and Longshan cultures. These were worn along with headgear, knee decorations, elaborate beaded necklaces, and other body ornaments, all made primarily from jade. Dr. Elizabeth Childs-Johnson dubs these cultures a part of the 'Jade Age', a period during which an abundance of jade objects accompanied the elite burials for the first time. The imagery carved on these jade adornments was highly standardized, and the most prominent image, which appears on this lot, is that of the godhead (also called a spirit person, shenren, or an anthropomorphized deity). This image is flat, often covered in cosmic cloud scrolls, and has zoomorphic attributes combining bird and semi-human elements.Literature comparison:Compare a closely related but much smaller jade pendant with godhead incision work, 6.3 cm long, dated to the Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.734. Compare also a related jade ornament with a mask godhead, 8.3 cm wide, dated to the Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 18.63.良渚文化罕見神面玉璜中國，西元前約3300-2200年。器形下端圓弧，上端有三叉，中叉較短，兩側叉較長。玉璜四面和邊緣均有精美的紋理如雲紋一般，正面中央有一個突出的雕刻神人面具，頂部有尖喙的動物形鳥頭。兩翼都穿有用於懸掛的小孔。不透明的玉石呈棕色，帶有雲霧和深棕色內沁。來源：Percival David 爵士收藏，紙標籤上可見 “The Percival Collection，of Chinese Jades” 以及 “Zoomorphic Figure”字樣。Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939)收藏，他逝世後由其遺孀Irene Beasley保存；Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964)，約於1939年購於上述收藏，之後在同一家族保存至今。Sir Percival David (1892-1964) 出生於孟買的英國金融家，收藏中國陶瓷、郵票和玉器。1923年訪問中國後，他迷上了中國藝術，並創辦了Percival David基金會，以促進中國藝術和文化的研究。他的藏品已增至驚人的 1,700 件，現陳列於大英博物館。Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939)收藏，他逝世後由其遺孀Irene Beasley保存；Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964)，約於1939年購於上述收藏，之後在同一家族保存至今。Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) 是一位英國人類學家和博物館館長，他在二十世紀初建立了一個重要的民族志收藏，現在收藏在英國的各個博物館中。Beasley和他的妻子Irene一起建立了Cranmore民族志博物館，該博物館最終收藏了 6,000 多件民族志方面的物品。Beasley 收集了來自歐洲各地的物品，從拍賣行和當地博物館購買以擴大收藏範圍，其中包含來自太平洋、亞洲、非洲和美國西北部的資料。Beasley為人類學期刊撰寫了大量文章，被公認爲是該領域的專家。他於 1939 年去世，他的藏品幸虧在戰爭期間被存放在大英博物館裏，而Cranmore博物館被轟炸摧毀。戰後，大部分藏品被轉移到大英博物館、愛丁堡皇家博物館、劍橋大學考古與人類學博物館、Pitt Rivers博物館和Merseyside County博物館。其他收藏，例如現在的拍品，由他的遺孀出售，在她 1974 年去世後，由他們的女兒出售。Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) 曾是Cranmore 民族志博物館重要支持人，也曾是 Harry Beasley的好友。在Harry Beasley去世不久，他從Irene Beasley 處購買了一些收藏，包括此件拍品。品相：狀況極好，大面積磨損和風化，精細切口的摩擦和磨損，以及一些隨著時間的推移而變得平滑的刻痕和缺口。具有天然內沁和裂縫的玉石，其中一些可能隨著時間的推移發展成細小的裂縫。整體鈣化。重量：73.7 克尺寸：長 10.3 釐米金屬支架。(2)玉璜是新石器時代，特別是在紅山、良渚和龍山文化中，屬於權力階層裝飾品。 它們與頭飾、衣服配飾、精緻的串珠項鍊和其他裝飾品一起佩戴，所有這些都主要由玉製成。 Elizabeth Childs-Johnson博士將這些文化稱為“玉器時代”的一部分，在此期間，大量玉器首次伴隨著權力階層墓葬。 這些玉佩上雕刻的圖像非常標準化，而這批作品中最突出的圖像是神格（也稱為神人，或擬人化的神）。 該圖像是平坦的，通常覆蓋雲紋，並具有結合鳥類和半人類元素的動物形態。文獻比較:比較一件非常相近且尺寸較小的新石器時代良渚文化神面玉佩，長6.3 厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號S1987.734。比較相近的新石器時代良渚文化神面玉佩，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，館藏編號18.63。

A GRAY JADE 'DRAGON' PENDANT, LATE MING TO EARLY QING DYNASTYChina, 17th/18th century. Of flattened form and finely carved in openwork to depict a coiling dragon, the body neatly decorated with partly interlocking C-scrolls, curling horn, long tail, beard, hair, flaring nostrils, and open mouth subtly incised. The opaque jade of a fine gray tone with cloudy dark-gray and black inclusions. Excellent polish, the surface with an unctuous feel overall.Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. Q.S.123. Two old paper labels, one mentioning a purchase date of 1935, and referring to the Beasley collection. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. It was no doubt fortuitous that Dr. Wou's years of collecting coincided with an abundant availability of exceptional Chinese art on the London market. From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s he was able to form a collection of well over 1,000 works that together represented virtually every category of Chinese art. At the heart of Dr. Wou's drive to collect was a burning desire to preserve the relics of China's rich historical past scattered across Europe, and to promote Chinese art and culture. It is unclear when Dr. Wou conceived the idea to create a place to house his collection, but in 1968, he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years the museum became a 'must see' destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China's glorious history. Condition: Good condition with some wear, minor signs of weathering and erosion, nibbling, small nicks. The stone with natural fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks.Weight: 19.7 g Dimensions: Length 5.8 cm Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 November 2018, lot 140 Price: HKD 150,000 or approx. EUR 18,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare yellow and russet jade 'dragon' carving, 17th/18th century Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving with similar C-scrolls, openwork, and incision work. Note the slightly more rounded form, yellow and russet color, and the size (8 cm).

A RARE SOAPSTONE 'TAOTIE' CEREMONIAL BLADE, HAN DYNASTYChina, 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD. The curved blade powerfully carved to both sides with a two-horned taotie mask with sharply detailed features such as almond-shaped eyes below elegantly curved brows centered by a cross-hatched lozenge design, framed by ruyi and scroll designs, all above a pierced round mouth. The blade is sharpened to one side, while the blunt side is pierced with two further circular apertures flanking a neatly incised rope-twist design. The opaque stone is of a mottled buff color with extensive calcification as well as russet and cloudy white inclusions. Nice polish, with an unctuous feel overall.Provenance: Collection Huet, Paris. Hôtel des ventes Giroux, 22-23 February 1952 (according to an ancient family ledger inspected by Cabinet Portier, Paris, France, during their appraisal of the complete de Strycker estate; this ledger remains in the possession of the de Strycker family and may not be copied). Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, acquired from the above and thence by descent in the same family. One side with an old collection label. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France's post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938 they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive ancient wear from pre-burial worship, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations, nicks, possibly minuscule old fills, the stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks. Naturally grown patina overall, with some areas of post-burial wear to calcification.Weight: 355.4 gDimensions: Length 28.5 cm The Taotie is an ancient Chinese mythological creature that was commonly emblazoned on a variety of materials during the 1st millennium BC. The first historically confirmed usage of Taotie is in the classic Zuo Zhuan, a narrative history of China written in 30 chapters between 722 and 468 BC, where it is used to refer to one of the Four Perils (Si Xiong), the four evil creatures of the world: a greedy and gluttonous son of the Jinyun clan, who lived during the time of the mythical Yellow Emperor. Within the Zuo Zhuan, taotie is used by the writer to identify a glutton.Literature comparison: Compare two related soapstone animal masks unearthed in 1978 from Western Han tombs in Maxiping, Xupu, and another unearthed from an Eastern Han tomb in Guojiapu, Changde, all three now in the Hunan Provincial Museum. Compare a related jade love token ornament, depicting a similarly carved grotesque face, 12.4 cm wide, also dated to the Han dynasty, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 18.43.14. Compare a related jade hu-form vessel with a similar taotie mask handle, dated to the Eastern Han dynasty, at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 9 October 2020, lot 3.

A JADE 'ELEPHANT' PENDANT, LATE SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG PHASEChina, 13th-11th century BC. Thick flattened jade plaque, finely carved in the form of an elephant with an upward-curling trunk and a slightly open mouth, with thread relief and incised lines to express the eyes, ears, and tail, as well as geometric decorations. The translucent stone is of a white tone with areas of creamy-white calcification, cloudy inclusions, and few dark specks. The tip of the trunk has a small 'natural' aperture for suspension.Provenance: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964), acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate, as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war, substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley's death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot. Condition: Excellent condition with extensive wear, microscopic soil encrustations and remnants of ancient pigment.Weight: 12.3 g Dimensions: Length 4.8 cm During the Shang dynasty, the Central Plain of China enjoyed a warm and humid climate and provided a suitable habitat for elephants. The archaeological ruins of Anyang, one of the Shang capitals, yielded large amounts of ivory and elephant bones, indicating that the Shang nobility sacrificed elephants in their rituals. The Lüshi Chunqiu (Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Lü) records the Shang people's taming of elephants: 'The Shang people trained elephants, which they used to oppress the Eastern Yi people. The Duke of Zhou consequently chased them with his armies to the Jiangnan region.'Literature comparison: Compare a related jade figure of an elephant, dated Shang dynasty, 12th-11th century BC, 7.3 cm long, exhibited by J. J. Lally & Co. in Ancient Chinese Jade: From the Neolithic to the Han, 10 March – 2 April 2016, no. 21. Compare two related jade elephants carved in the round, excavated from the tomb of Fu Hao, measuring 6-6.5 cm in length and 3-3.3 cm in height, illustrated in 'Zhongguo gu qingtongqi xuan', Beijing, 1976, pl. 91. One of these elephants is also illustrated in 'Zhongguo meishu quanji, Diaosu bian', vol. 1, Beijing, 1988, p. 51. Compare the small jade figure of an elephant unearthed from tomb 1728 at the Shang dynasty royal cemetery site in Xibeigang, Henan province, illustrated by Lee (ed.) in 'Yinxu chutu qiwu xuancui (Selected Works Unearthed from Yinxu)', Taipei, 2009, p. 216, no. 201; and the larger jade elephant of similar form unearthed from tomb 1567 at the same royal cemetery, illustrated by Lee (ed.), op. cit., pp. 196-197, no. 175. Compare also the jade figure of an elephant simply carved as a small free-standing silhouette in the collection of the Tianjin City Art Museum illustrated in 'Tianjin shi yishu bowuguan cang yu (Jades from the Tianjin City Art Museum)', Hong Kong, 1993, no. 51.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 28 November 2019, lot 706 Price: HKD 250,000 or approx. EUR 32,000, converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A brown jade 'elephant' pendant, late Shang dynasty, Anyang phase Expert remark: Compare the related form with similar upward-curling trunk and slightly open mouth. Note the different color, lack of thread relief, and the size (2.9 cm).

A CELADON AND BROWN JADE BI DISK, WESTERN HAN DYNASTYChina, 2nd-1st century BC. Each side finely carved in low relief with a dense pattern of raised bosses neatly arranged in a hexagonal grid pattern, within narrow plain borders encircling the rim and enclosing the central aperture. The translucent stone of a pale yellowish-green color pale brown shadings, cloudy inclusions, and grayish-white calcification.Provenance: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964), acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley's death, he acquired several objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot.Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, minuscule nibbling, few minor nicks, tiny losses to edges which have smoothened over time.Weight: 212.8 gDimensions: Diameter 15 cm A Confucian text likely dating to the Western Han period, the Zhou Li, or Rites of Zhou, states that the six ritual jades, or Liu Yu Liu Rue, comprise the bi, cong, gui, zhang, hu, and huang, among which, the bi disk and the cong tube were by far the most important and the longest lived. The bi, a circular disk with a circular perforation in the center, was said to symbolize the sun and to have been used in ceremonies paying homage to the sun. As a parallel, the cong - an implement square in section, open at both ends, and with a cylindrical passageway connecting the two ends - was believed to represent the earth and to have been used in ceremonies honoring the earth. Alas, the exact meaning and function of the bi and cong remain unknown, as those ritual implements originated in Neolithic times, more than 2,000 years before the Zhou Li was written. In all probability, that text thus merely states the conventional wisdom held at the time of its writing, which may or may not have anything to do with the implements' original use and significance or their evolution over the millennia.The earliest bi disks, which date to the Neolithic period, which are undecorated and were crafted in a variety of colored hardstones, tend to be large, relatively thick, and sometimes slightly irregular in shape. Occasionally slightly off-center, the central perforation typically was worked from both sides, with the result that a low ridge often encircles the middle of the perforation, indicating the point where the tools met. By the Shang dynasty, bi disks, though still undecorated but with the perforation perfectly centered, were very regular in form, were usually crafted in sea-green or bluish-green nephrite and were generally thinner than earlier examples. In the late Eastern Zhou, most bi disks were finished with a subtly raised border around the periphery and another around the central perforation; in addition, the surface of the usually pale greenish-white stone, sometimes enlivened with a splash of brown, was typically ornamented with an array of small, spiral, or comma-shaped embellishments that are regularly spaced and rise in low relief and that are known as guwen or guliwen, meaning 'grain patterns.' (For a short essay on the emergence, development, and decline of the late Eastern Zhou relief embellishment, see Marcel Loehr, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 1975, pp. 21-28.)As demonstrated by this exquisite example, the late Eastern Zhou preference for thin bi disks in white or pale greenish white jade marked with brown persisted into the Western Han, as did the taste for subtly raised borders and ornamented surfaces. In Western Han disks, however, the relief embellishments are polygonal, rather than round or comma-shaped, and they line up in very neat, regular rows and columns, in appearance often seemingly diagonally set, that well-defined order clearly reflecting the method with which the stone was worked. (Of course, the nearly arranged and regularly spaced spiral embellishments on late Eastern Zhou jades also appear in regular rows, but usually not in both rows and columns or set on diagonals.)Literature comparison: Compare a closely related bi disk with similar decoration, dated 475-100 BC, 13.7 cm diameter, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number S1987.594. Compare two closely related jade disks, also dated to the Western Han dynasty, 14 cm and 14.1 cm diameter, in the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection at the Harvard Art Museums, object numbers 1943.50.545 and 1943.50.550. A jade disk of related size and decorated with a similar hexagonal grid pattern was included in the National Palace Museum exhibition and illustrated in A Catalogue of National Palace Museum's Special Exhibition of Circular Jade, Taipei, 2006, pl. 82.Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Christie's New York, 19 March 2015, lot 592Price: USD 106,250 or approx. EUR 127,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A pale greenish-white and brown jade bi disk, Western Han dynasty, 206 BC-AD 8Expert remark: Note the size (15.8 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 2711Price: HKD 226,800 or approx. EUR 27,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A carved jade disc, bi, Western Han dynasty 206 BC-AD 8Expert remark: Note the size (14 cm).

A Chinese jade archers ring with carved calligraphy detail. Approx. 3.5cm diameter x 3cm wide.

A carved Chinese jade roundel modelled as pumpkins/gourds. With carved detail to both sides. Approx. 8cm x 7cm.

A small piece of Chinese carved green jade modelled as Foo dogs. Approx. 3cm tall x 10cm long.

A 27" string of Chinese white jade beads, knotted between each bead. Size approx. 1cm diameter.

3 leather handbags. 2 black shoulder bags by Jane Shilton together with a small jade green shoulder bag. Largest approx. 28cm x 25cm.

A COLLECTION OF 5 SILVER GEMSTONE DRESS RINGS TO INCLUDE JADE, OPAL ETC

A circular Chinese jade yellow metal mounted bird pendant 5cm diameter

A antique Chinese silver and jade lotus disk large pendant

A gold mounted jade pendant and disk 9ct

Lot of jewelry with white and yellow metal. Including a Swarovski pendant with blue stone, bracelet with jade, various pendants including amethyst, tiger's eye and lapis lazulli, various brooches, including enamel, stretch bracelets, a watch chain with double elements and a silver clamp strap and a choker.

Eight parts old/antique Oriental + Chinese. Miscellaneous. Among other things; Plated holder, jade amulet, jade bowl, bronze mirror with crane representation, wood-carved kylin, bone figure and a deity made of buffalo horn. Size: 7 - 14 cm. In good condition.

Exclusive New Zealand Maori artwork. Made of carved jade, placed in an 18 carat gold holder with a root wood base. So-called Pounamu Disc, by Richard Anderson. Tainiu, Ngati Kahungunu. Dimensions: H 23 cm. In good condition.

Full title: A Chinese monochrome white-glazed bowl, Jinlu Dajiao Tan Yong 金箓大醮壇用 mark, JiajingDescription:Dia.: 9 cm - H.: 4,5 cm Provenance: - A Belgian private collection.- A South-German private collection. Ref.: - The British Museum, registration no. PDF,B.675 for an almost identical cup. (direct link available on rm-auctions.com) - A similar bowl, dated Xuande, is in the National Palace Museum of Taiwan. (direct link available on rm-auctions.com) Presented in a blue-lined glass-front display box, which dates back to the period of the Republic of China (1912-1949).In the well of the bowl, we find the character cha (tea) within a double circle in underglaze blue. On the base is the mark 'Jinlu Dajiao Tan yong' (for use on the Gold Record Great Sacrifice Altar) within a circle, the cobalt of a deep blue tone.Both the Taoshuo and the Jingdezhen Taolu mention a tanzhan (altar cup). The Taoshuo first quotes a passage from the Bowu Yaolan (Select Items from Things Surveyed): Small white cups, inscribed with the characters 'tea', 'wine', hot water with dates' and hot water with ginger respectively. They were Daoist ceremonial vessels for Shizong [Jiajing Emperor] and were called altar cups. They are not as good as those from the Xuande period.These cups from the Jiajing period exist in three sizes: large, medium, and small. Those with the "tea" character are of good quality, while those inscribed ‘hot water with ginger’ are of inferior quality. They are inscribed "Jinlu Dajiao Tan Yong". In Daoist terminology Jinlu is an edict from the High Lord. The Jinlu dajiao (gold register), the huanglu dajiao (yellow register), and the yulu dajiao (jade register) are three important sacrificial ceremonies. The present cup (and excavated shards) provides important information as to what was placed on the altar on such occasions. 明代嘉靖年间，有一种白瓷小杯，外底书“金籙大醮壇用”六字款，内底写“茶”、“汤”等字。这种器物，早在明代就被一些文人在著述中屡屡称赞。如文震亨《长物志》卷十二说：“世庙有坛盏，中有‘茶’‘汤’‘果’‘酒’，后有‘金箓大醮坛用’等字者亦佳。”可见，这种小杯子称“壇盞”，是“世庙”(嘉靖)的皇家用器。  嘉靖青花“金籙大醮壇用”款碗标本，明御窑厂遗址多有出土，由此可印证嘉靖宫中斋醮活动盛行。关于斋醮，这是道教独具特色的宗教仪式，斋醮即供斋醮神、设坛祭祷神灵，内容有清洁身心、设坛摆供、焚香、化符、掐诀、叩齿、存想、念咒、上章、诵经、赞颂，并配以音乐、灯烛和禹步等仪范程序。  明代嘉靖帝是个热衷于举办“金籙大醮壇”的人，目的有延寿、求嗣、祈福等。据《万历野获编》卷二记载：“每建金籙大醮壇，则上必日躬至焉。凡入直撰元诸侥臣，皆附丽其旁，即阁臣亦昼夜供事，不复至文渊阁。盖君臣上下，朝真醮斗几三十年，与帝社稷相终始。” “壇盞”是专门为“金籙大醮壇”订制的瓷器，这在历史上是独一无二的。Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: A Chinese reticulated white jade parfumier with spinach-green jade cover and base, QingDescription:H.: 16,5 cm (total height) Provenance: - A Dutch private collection.Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: Five fine Chinese white jade belt buckles, QingDescription:Dim.: 7,2 x 5 x 2 cm (the mounted piece)Dim.: 8 x 5 x 2 cm (the mounted piece with dragonhead)Dim.: 9,5 x 6,5 x 1 cmDim.: 10,5 x 9 x 1,5 cmDim.: 11 x 9,5 x 1,5 cm (the tallest) Provenance:- The collection of a Belgian connoisseur.Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: A fine Chinese Mughal style white jade teapot with floral design, 18/19th C.Description:L.: 11,5 cm - H.: 9,3 cm Provenance:- The collection of a Belgian connoisseur.- Acquired from an Antwerp private collection, ca. 2021. Ref.: Bonhams, San Francisco, USA, June 29, 2009, lot 8043, for a closely related example. (sold USD 61.000) (direct link available on rm-auctions.com)Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: Two Chinese white and celadon jade carved standing boys, QingDescription:H.: 8,5 cm (the tallest figure) Provenance:- The collection of a Belgian connoisseur.Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: Three Chinese archaic calcified jade pendants, probably Liangzhu cultureDescription:L.: 32 cm - H.: 5,3 cm (the largest pendant) Provenance: - A Belgian private collection.Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: A Chinese white jade paper weight with a crane and a tiger, 17/18th C.Description:Dim.: 8,5 x 5 x 2 cm Provenance:- The collection of a Belgian connoisseur.Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: A Chinese reticulated white jade plaque, QingDescription:Dim.: 8 x 6 cm Provenance: A fine Belgian private collection. The plaque inscribed Fu Zi Tian Lai ç¦è‡ªå¤©ä¾† (Fortune comes from above).Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: Two Chinese white jade 'elephant' seals of Wen Yuan Ge Bao 文渊阁寳 and Wen Hua Dian Bao 文華殿寶, QingDescription:Dim.: 4 x 2,7 x 2,7 cm Ref.:- The Palace Museum, Beijing, no. 00165513, for a similar Wen Yuan Ge Bao 文渊é˜å¯³ celadon jade seal. (direct link available on rm-auctions.com)- The Palace Museum, Beijing, no. 00166456, for a similar Wen Hua Dian Bao æ–‡è¯æ®¿å¯¶ celadon jade seal. (direct link available on rm-auctions.com)Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: A fine Chinese white jade 'buddhist lions' vase and cover, QingDescription:H.: 25,5 cm Provenance:- The private collection of a retired Dutch antiques dealer.- (by repute) Acquired in London from the heirs of an English noble family in the 1980's. Ref.: Sotheby's, Paris, June 15, 2023, lot 14, for a smaller and somewhat less elaborate vase. (sold EUR 24.130) (direct link available on rm-auctions.com)Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

Full title: Two Chinese white jade fine carved belt hooks, QingDescription:L.: 9,5 cm (the largest) Provenance:- The collection of a Belgian connoisseur.Condition:The absence of a condition report does not imply that a lot is in perfect condition.Condition reports are provided on request. They will be made available, together with additional images, on our website at www.rm-auctions.com. Condition reports are given as a service, we can not be held liable for errors in such a report. The full list of condition reports for this sale is available on the following URL: https://www.rm-auctions.com/en/condition-report/75Further questions are always welcome at info@rm-auctions.com

A pair of Chinese model Dogs of Fo, 5 3/4" high, a brass miniature model of a Dog of Fo, a carved jade figure group of two birds, a Chinese tea bowl and saucer (damages) and a Chinese lacquered hinged box

A Chinese pale celadon jade carving of two children, on hardwood stand, 3" wideCondition:No visible condition issues. 

A mixed lot of Oriental items to include brass and other metalware figures, bowls, condiment set, along with a brass mounted box, inset with jade effect to the top.Location:

A Chinese white metal tea strainer with pierced floral decoration and inset with jade to the handleLocation:

A mixed lot to include a bag of unopened Ty Beanie Babies including Hissy, two Chinese glass ornaments, and a jade coloured stone frog, a red glazed ceramic vase, and a composition stand Location:

A COMPLETE SET OF FOUR FAMILLE ROSE 'EIGHT IMMORTALS' PLAQUES, BY WANG QI (1884-1937)China, Republic period, circa 1930. Exquisitely painted in bright enamels, each plaque depicting two of the Eight Immortals wearing fine robes and holding their attributes, with two seals of the artist. (4)Expert's note: The quality of this set is remarkable. The artwork is exquisitely detailed in vivid and confident brushstrokes, very much unlike the countless copies in circulation today. The enamels are exceptionally well fired, with crisp and elegant colors, blended to an overall near-perfect harmony, as found only in a small number of works from the Wang Qi studio. Equally noteworthy is the quality of the hardwood frames, including their fittings and backings, all exhibiting clear signs of age, original to the set and executed to the highest standards, a level of craftsmanship absent in later pieces.Inscriptions: Each plaque with two seals: the first, lower right, 'Wang Qi' and 'Liandan jishi'; the second, lower right, one reading 'Wang Qi'; the third, lower left, 'Xiaoyao' and 'Wang Qi huayin'; and the fourth, lower right, one reading 'Wang Qi'.Provenance: North American trade. By repute acquired from a local estate.Condition: Excellent condition with some old wear and firing irregularities. Little rubbing and flaking to enamels. One plaque with a phosphorescent firing flaw in the upper left corner. The frames with expected traces of use, minor splits and a natural patina.Dimensions: Panel size ca. 55 x 17 cm (each), Size incl. frame ca. 59 x 21 cm (each) The first plaque depicts Li Tieguai leaning on his iron crutch, carrying two gourds on his back, one releasing fumes, standing next to He Xiangu holding a long leafy blossoming lotus stem, under the full moon.The second plaque with Zhongli Quan holding his fan and Lu Dongbin with his sword sheathed to his back, below a flying crane.The third plaque shows Han Xiangsi, with his flute suspending a jade pendant, conversing with Cao Guojiu looking up towards his castanets in the air above.The fourth plaque with the elderly Zhang Guo holding his bamboo rod and standing beside Lan Caihe carrying his basket filled with flowers and lingzhi, below an iron-red bat.The Baxian (Eight Immortals) are a legendary group of Chinese heroes who fight to vanquish evil. Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang or Song Dynasty. They are revered by the Taoists and are also a popular element in secular Chinese culture. They are said to live on a group of five islands in the Bohai Sea, which includes Mount Penglai. Stories of these immortals were first recorded by the Ming dynasty poet Wu Yuantai. Their status as folk icons makes them well-known in popular culture.Wang Qi (1884-1937) was the most outstanding porcelain painter of his day. After the fall of the Qing dynasty, imperial orders for porcelain dwindled at Jingdezhen, the main porcelain production center in China. Porcelain artists, released from imperial restraints, developed their own styles based on famous scroll painters of earlier periods. Eight of the leading artists formed a group, which despite calling themselves 'The Full Moon Society' came to be known as the 'Eight Friends of Zushan'. The development of Wang Qi's mature style can be traced to a trip he made to Shanghai in 1916 to see an exhibition of works by a group of painters called Yangzhou Baguai (the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou). Wang was so impressed by the paintings of Huang Shen, one of the Eight Eccentrics, that he started to emulate Huang's style. But not satisfied with just emulating, over the years, Wang increasingly developed his own distinct style by incrementally incorporating Western painting and enameling techniques in his work.His earlier works were characterized by the gongbi style, which employed fine outlines for human figures. However, his style evolved over time, transitioning into a more free style. Wang Qi's artistic journey led him to Jingdezhen in 1901, where he learned porcelain painting and portrait painting from Deng Bishan and Qian Hui An. His talent was recognized when he received the "Supernatural Technique" plate as a gift from the Fuliang County Magistrate in 1916, which significantly boosted his reputation. In 1916, Wang Qi traveled to Shanghai with Wang Dafan to attend the Shanghai Paintings Exhibition, where he encountered the Eight Strange Masters of Yangzhou. Among them, he was particularly impressed by the painting style of Huang Shen, who excelled in painting people, landscapes, and flowers and birds. Wang Qi's background in portrait painting, sculpture, and painting portraits on porcelain, combined with his exposure to Western painting techniques, elevated his porcelain paintings to a new level of artistic accomplishment.Literature comparison: A set of plaques, also painted with the Eight Immortals but in a different arrangement of pairs, is preserved in the China Ceramic Museum, Jingdezhen, albeit unpublished. The Muwentang Collection has a group of famille-rose plaques of different figural subjects painted in a related style by Wang Qi, attributed to the period between 1912-1925, published in Simon Kwan, Minguo ciqi (Chinese Porcelain of the Republic Period), Hong Kong, 2008, pls. 12-19. 王琦款一組四件粉彩八仙掛屏中國，民國，約1930年。木框為套裝原創。(4) 款識：王琦，煉丹濟世；王琦；逍遙，王琦畫印；王琦。 來源：北美古玩交易，據説購於當地舊藏。 品相：狀況良好，有磨損，琺琅輕微摩擦和剝落。一塊掛屏左上角有燒製缺陷。框架有使用痕跡、輕微裂痕和自然包漿。 尺寸：掛屏分別為55 x 17 厘米，總約59 x 21 厘米由于平台拍品叙述的长度限制，我们移除了中文叙述，完整中文叙述请至www.zacke.at查看

A GOLD-SPLASHED BRONZE BOMBE CENSER, YUTANG QINGWAN MARK, CHINA, 17TH-18TH CENTURYExpert's note: The gold-splashed decoration on this censer is especially rich, suggesting that it was made with no cost spared and for the table of a high-ranking official or an important scholar-literati.The compressed tripod vessel is raised on three tapering feet, the everted rim with two upright loop handles, richly decorated to the exterior with cloud-like gilt splashes. The base is neatly cast with the four-character hall mark in deep relief.Inscriptions: To the base, 'Yutang qingwan' (pure please of the Jade Hall).Provenance: English trade. Condition: Good condition with old wear, expected traces of use, and minor casting flaws, slight rubbing to the gilt, and occasional minute nicks and light scratches. The interior with several pronounced fatigue cracks, signs of extensive usage over a prolonged period of time.Weight: 1,221 g Dimensions: Width 14.7 cm Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 6 March 2021, lot 442 Price: EUR 20,224 or approx. EUR 24,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A 'Yutang qingwan' gold-splashed bronze bombe censer, 17th century Expert remark: Compare the similar gold splashes and identical hall mark. Note the different position of the loop handles and the larger size (18.7 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie's New York, 17 March 2017, lot 1040 Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A gilt-splashed bronze tripod censer, 17th-18th century Expert remark: Compare the closely related gilt splashes and tripod form, albeit with different loop handles, and the identical hall mark. Note the slightly larger size (17.5 cm). 十七至十八世紀灑金橋耳三足銅爐，玉堂清玩款三足爐胎體厚重，底出三乳足，橋形耳，外壁有雲狀灑金，爐底工整深浮雕四字款。 款識：玉堂清玩 來源：英國古玩交易。 品相：狀況良好，有磨損、使用痕跡、輕微的鑄造缺陷，鎏金有輕微摩擦、局部有微小刻痕和劃痕。內部有幾處明顯的裂紋。 重量：1,221 克 尺寸：寬 14.7 厘米 拍賣比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：Galerie Zacke，維也納，2021年3月6日，lot 442 價格：EUR 20,224（相當今日EUR 24,000） 描述：十七世紀“玉堂清玩"款灑金雙耳銅香爐 專家註釋：比較相似的灑金和同款。請注意雙耳在不同的位置和尺寸較大 (18.7 厘米)。 拍賣比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：紐約佳士得，2017年3月17日，lot 1040 價格：USD 30,000（相當今日EUR 34,500） 描述：明末/清十八世紀銅灑金押經爐 「玉堂清玩」款 專家註釋：比較非常相近的灑金和三足的外形，但不同的雙耳及同款。請注意尺寸較大 (17.5 厘米)

A MONUMENTAL HEAD OF VAIROCANA, THE PRIMORDIAL BUDDHA, CIRCA 500-800 ADExpert's note: The present head is extraordinarily rare due to its exceptional size and history as part of a towering statue, likely standing around four meters tall, once gracing the exterior of a significant temple or cave shrine. It portrays a most important solely Buddhist subject, showcases a clear Gupta influence not seen in later Chinese sculpture, and was carved from red sandstone, a direct tribute to the art of Mathura. It therefore dates back to the Tang dynasty, if not considerably earlier, with a vanishingly small possibility of originating at the beginning of the Song dynasty. Powerfully yet sensitively sculpted, the full rounded face is carved with soft bow-shaped lips, the elongated eyes elegantly delineated beneath gracefully arched brows, the hair in crisply carved curls. Surmounted by a tall crown with three figures in high relief representing the Buddhas of the past, present, and future, each seated in dhyanasana on a lotus throne.Provenance: From the personal collection of J. J. Lally, New York, USA. With two labels from J. J. Lally, each inscribed with the number '4154'. James J. Lally was a renowned antique dealer and connoisseur, recognized as one of the greatest scholar-dealers of Chinese art, who has been a leader in the field for more than 40 years. After graduating from Harvard College and Columbia University, Lally joined Sotheby's where he held many positions within the Chinese art department. In 1970, he served as the director of Chinese works of art at Sotheby's in New York and Hong Kong, and by 1983 was named president of Sotheby's in North America. In 1986 he founded his namesake gallery, J. J. Lally & Co., at 41 East 57th Street in New York - just a few blocks away from the MoMA, to provide advisory services for keen collectors. Lally fondly recalls the moment, not long after he opened his gallery, when a young man walked through the door with a Shang Dynasty gong-a bronze vessel shaped like a gravy boat-decorated with a dragon and tiger and in beautiful condition. It was, Lally described, “one of the most important objects I ever had in my hands." The young man said he had inherited it from his father and was not really interested in Chinese art himself. He wanted to buy a sailboat and wondered if the gong was valuable enough to pay for that. “I was very happy to tell him that it was valuable enough to buy two sailboats," Lally noted. The gallery helped to establish New York as a major center of commerce for Chinese art and allowed Lally to concentrate on his own specific interests, particularly early ceramics, ritual bronze vessels, archaic jade carvings and sculpture. Lally brought a learned approach to his work, publishing detailed, scholarly catalogs that have remained important reference guides within the field. This meticulous approach continued when he produced his own exhibitions and catalogs. Giuseppe Eskenazi, dubbed the “Godfather of Chinese Antiques," and one of the world's most esteemed Chinese art dealers, also spoke highly of Lally for his achievements in the industry, alongside William Chak from Hong Kong, and the Marchant family from London. In the spring of 2023, Christie's and Bonhams conducted single owner sales of Lally's collection which broke several auction records. Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Old wear, encrustations, and erosion. Obvious losses, minor nicks and scratches. The originally rather porous sedimentary rock now almost completely smoothed out by more than a millennia of weathering and worship. Magnificent naturally grown patina overall, giving the stone a deep auburn color.Weight: 120 kg (incl. stand) Dimensions: Height 60.1 (excl. stand) and 95 cm (incl. stand)With a fitted stand. (2)Due to length restriction on the platform, this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.由于平台拍品叙述的长度限制，我们移除了中文叙述，完整中文叙述请至www.zacke.at查看

AN IMPERIAL PAIR OF QUADRILOBED CLOISONNE ENAMEL 'LOTUS' VASES, QIANLONG FIVE-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIODChina, 1736-1795. Each baluster body is distinctively four-lobed and rises from a splayed foot to a waisted neck surmounted by a trumpet mouth with an everted lip in gilt-copper. Decorated around the exterior with bands of lotus blooms borne on meandering leafy scrolls between bats, ruyi and stylized lappet bands, all reserved on a deep turquoise ground. The recessed gilt copper base neatly incised with a five-character mark Qianlong nianzhi ze and of the period. (2)Provenance: From the collection of J. J. Lally, New York, USA. To each box, a collector's label, 'Lally & Co. New York' with handwritten inventory number '4289.' James J. Lally was a renowned antique dealer and connoisseur, recognized as one of the greatest scholar-dealers of Chinese art, who has been a leader in the field for more than 40 years. After graduating from Harvard College and Columbia University, Lally joined Sotheby's where he held many positions within the Chinese art department. In 1970 he served as the director of Chinese works of art at Sotheby's in New York and Hong Kong, and by 1983 was named president of Sotheby's in North America. In 1986, he founded his namesake gallery, J. J. Lally & Co., at 41 East 57th Street in New York - just a few blocks away from the MoMA, to provide advisory services for keen collectors. Lally fondly recalls the moment, not long after he opened his gallery, when a young man walked through the door with a Shang Dynasty gong-a bronze vessel shaped like a gravy boat-decorated with a dragon and tiger and in beautiful condition. It was, Lally described, “one of the most important objects I ever had in my hands." The young man said he had inherited it from his father and was not really interested in Chinese art himself. He wanted to buy a sailboat and wondered if the gong was valuable enough to pay for that. “I was very happy to tell him that it was valuable enough to buy two sailboats," Lally noted. The gallery helped to establish New York as a major center of commerce for Chinese art and allowed Lally to concentrate on his own specific interests, particularly early ceramics, ritual bronze vessels, archaic jade carvings and sculpture. Lally brought a learned approach to his work, publishing detailed, scholarly catalog that have remained important reference guides within the field. This meticulous approach continued when he produced his own exhibitions and catalog. Giuseppe Eskenazi, dubbed the “Godfather of Chinese Antiques," and one of the world's most esteemed Chinese art dealers, also spoke highly of Lally for his achievements in the industry, alongside William Chak from Hong Kong, and the Marchant family from London. In the spring of 2023, Christie's and Bonhams conducted single owner sales of Lally's collection which broke several auction records.Condition: Excellent condition with expected manufacturing irregularities and wear to gilt, minute hairlines, dents and nicks to enamels. Minor losses to enamels with associated old fills. Overall displaying exceptionally well.Weight: 1494.1 g and 1499.2 gDimensions: Height 36.3 cm (each) Each with a padded silk box and cover. (4)Literature comparison: Compare a closely related pair of cloisonne enamel vases, 34 cm high, with the same five-character Qianlong marks as the present lot, at Dorotheum, Vienna, 27 September 1994, lot 1041. Compare a closely related pair of cloisonne enamel 'lotus' vases, 36 cm high, also with five-character Qianlong marks, the fifth character being 'ze', illustrated by Brinker and Lutz, Chinese Cloisonne: The Pierre Uldry Collection, Asia Society, New York, 1989, no. 282, p. 74, where the authors note: “During the Qianlong period (1736-1795) an additional character, the significance of which is obscure, is occasionally found below the usual mark." The authors go on to suggest the 'ze' character may be an indication of the use or category of the object on which it is inscribed.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's London, 11 May 2010, lot 110 Price: GBP 37,250 or approx. EUR 73,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A large and rare cloisonne enamel vase, gu, Qianlong incised four-character mark within a double square and of the period Expert remark: Compare the related cloisonne decoration, lotus motif, and incised reign mark. Note the size (57 cm), different form, absence of an additional character to the reign mark, and that the lot comprises only a single vase.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3005 Price: HKD 400,000 or approx. EUR 56,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A fine Imperial small cloisonne enamel 'lotus' dish, Qianlong incised six-character mark within double rectangles and of the period Expert remark: Compare the related cloisonne decoration, lotus motif, and incised reign mark (albeit six characters). Note the size 13 cm), different form, absence of an additional character to the reign mark, and that the lot comprises a single bowl. 乾隆五字款及年代一對銅胎掐絲琺瑯海棠式瓶中國, 1736-1795年。銅胎，長頸，撇口，圈足外撇。全器作海棠四瓣花形。全器滿飾纏枝蓮紋，瓶口飾如意，頸部可見蝙蝠，足部可見芭蕉葉紋。底足內鎏金並刻有“乾隆年製 則"。 (2) 來源：紐約 J. J. Lally私人收藏，每個盒子上都有一個藏家標籤，寫著 '4289'。 品相：狀況極佳，製造不規則性和鍍金磨損、微小的冲線、琺瑯上有凹痕和刻痕。只有非常小的缺損，和相應的舊修補。 重量：分別為1494.1 克與 1499.2克 尺寸：各高 36.3 厘米 蓋盒内襯絲緞。 (4) 由于平台拍品叙述的长度限制，我们移除了中文叙述，完整中文叙述请至www.zacke.at查看

AN IMPERIAL RUBY-RED GROUND 'BLOSSOMING PRUNUS' KESI ROBE, CHINA, 18TH CENTURYExpert's note: Plum blossoms on a ruby-red ground is an Imperial decor type that is extremely rare, highly coveted, and already found on important objects dating from the late Kangxi reign, and of course the Yongzheng period (see literature comparison below). There are no notable comparisons found for the present robe, a fact that leads us to the conclusion that this is likely a rather early example, dating from the 18th century.Finely worked with innumerable floral heads and buds picked out in shades of salmon, green, and white against a red ground, interspersed with butterflies in various hues, the sleeves, collar, and hem in light blue piping. To the side and sleeves, ten fabric loops to secure the robe. Further to the sides, several molded beads in imitation of jade with green lacquer coating and stylized shou characters in high relief.Provenance: An important American collection of Chinese robes, and thence by descent within the family.Condition: Excellent condition with only little wear, very minor stains, and a few loose threads.Dimensions: Length 136 cm, Width 160 cm (across sleeves) Literature comparison:Compare the closely related composition and theme of the robe to an imperial famille-rose enameled copper and gold 'blossoming prunus' snuff bottle, from the celebrated collection of Mary and George Bloch, sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 28 November 2011, lot 166. Described as one of the most spectacular and intriguing of all Kangxi palace snuff bottles, the bottle is not only striking for its continuous design as opposed to panels of decoration surrounded by formalized floral designs, but also its ruby-red ground, similar to our robe. Also compare the precise renderings of bold branches of plum blossoms in various stages of blooming to an imperial Qing court snuff bottle in the Palace Museum collection. Finally compare a Yongzheng bowl decorated with plum blossom on a ruby ground at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 November 2016, Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, lot 3218. 十八世紀寶石紅地緙絲梅花紋緙絲常服寶石紅地，各色桃花與花蕾，點綴著各色蝴蝶，袖子、領子和下擺採用淺藍色滾邊。 側面和袖子上有十個織物環來固定長袍。 側面還有幾顆仿玉模製珠子，塗有綠漆，並帶有高浮雕風格的壽字。專家注釋：紅地梅花是一種極其罕見、備受推崇的宮廷裝飾類型。早在康熙晚期，當然還有雍正時期的重要器物上就已經發現了（參見下面的文獻比較）。目前的長袍沒有發現顯著的比較，這一事實使我們得出這樣的結論：這可能是一個相當早期的例子，可以追溯到十八世紀。 來源：美國一位中國長袍鑑賞家和收藏家的私人收藏，在同一家族保存至今。 品相：狀況極佳，只有很少的磨損、非常輕微的污漬和一些鬆動的線頭。 尺寸：長136 厘米, 寬160 厘米 (兩袖之間)文獻比較： 比較非常相近的銅鍍金胎畫琺瑯紫地白梅圖鼻煙壺，Mary and George Bloch收藏，售於香港邦瀚斯，2011年11月28日，lot 166。該鼻煙壺被譽為康熙宮廷鼻煙壺中最壯觀、最耐人尋味的鼻煙壺之一，其引人注目的不僅在於其連續的設計，而不是被造型花卉圖案包圍的裝飾板，而且其底色為寶石紅色，類似於我們的鼻煙壺。比較梅花開枝鼻煙壺，收藏於故宮博物院藏清宮鼻煙壺。比較一件寶石紅地梅花紋雍正款，見香港佳士得，2016年11月30日，《Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art》，lot 3218

AN EXCEPTIONAL YELLOW JADE FIGURE OF A BEAR, HUANGXIONG, HAN DYNASTY, CHINA, 202 BC - 220 ADExpert's note: At peace with itself and the world, the bear appears to be enjoying the moment and is wholly lacking the ferocity that typifies most Han-dynasty representations of bears, tigers, and other wild beasts, marking this as an astonishingly rare and naturalistic sculpture. The stone is calcified throughout, but a single patch of the original jade fades from a fine yellow tone through a deep orange into a remarkable cinnabar red, exemplifying the fact that jade can have almost any color.Special care seems to have been given to this jade bear after its rediscovery. Not only has the stone been finely polished by a dedicated craftsman after it's retrieval from the earth - extensive soil encrustations remain visible all over the exterior - but it was also repaired with a neatly lacquered replacement piece meticulously inserted to the lower jaw. This lacquer repair, likely Japanese in origin, interplays nicely with the red shades on the left hind leg of the bear. The conclusion of this author is that the present lot was probably found at some point around the 18th century, where it was treated as described above, and eventually brought to Japan, where the red lacquer repair has been carried out. From there it made its way to Europe, probably at some point in the earlier part of the 20th century. Also note that until 1945, the German Reich and the Japanese Empire were close allies, exchanging on many different levels of culture.The small yet compelling sculpture represents a plump bear seated on its haunches in a moment of repose. The round eyes gazing forward and flanking the nose, the forehead with a central line below the attentively raised ears, the spine extending to the short, peach-form tail with very fine incised lines on either side, the haunches well rounded and extending to the muscular legs and clawed paws, with one tucked underneath. The opaque jade is of a deep yellow hue with orange, red and russet shades, covered almost entirely in ancient calcification.Provenance: From a German private estate, by repute acquired by an unknown ancestor long time ago and in the family ever since. Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, displaying exceptionally well. Signs of wear and weathering, losses, nicks, calcification and encrustation as a result of an extended period of burial. An ancient red lacquer 'Kintsugi' style repair to the lower jaw, most likely applied in Japan a long time ago. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. The calcification also covers most of the incision work, which becomes apparent from looking at the tail which is not completely calcified.Weight: 212 g Dimensions: Height 6.6 cmAuction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 November 2018, lot 108 Price: HKD 6,700,000 or approx. EUR 859,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An exceedingly rare and important white and russet jade carving of a bear, Western Han dynasty Expert remark: Note the related facial features of this jade bear. Note the size (5.7 cm).Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's Paris, 13 May 2014, lot 20 Price: EUR 247,500 or approx. EUR 283,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare celadon-yellow jade bear, Song dynasty or earlier Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject. Compare also the fine detailing and incision work. Note the slightly smaller size (5.1 cm) and celadon-yellow color.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's Paris, 13 May 2014, lot 18 Price: EUR 4,207,500 or approx. EUR 4,818,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare yellow jade mythical animal, Song dynasty or earlier Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose. Compare also the related carving with similar drooping chest and rotund belly as well as the fine detailing and incision work. The mythical animal has a bear-like appearance with the addition of wings and horns. Note the slightly smaller size (5 cm) and yellow color. Note also that this jade was previously published and exhibited by J. J. Lally & Co., Chinese Archaic Jades and Bronzes from the Estate of Professor Max Loehr and Others, New York, 1993, cat. no. 85.Due to length restriction on the platform, this entry is shortened. For full description please visit www.zacke.at.由于平台拍品叙述的长度限制，我们移除了中文叙述，完整中文叙述请至www.zacke.at查看

A LARGE GRAY AND BLACK JADE FIGURE OF A WATER BUFFALO, LATE MING TO EARLY QING DYNASTYExpert's note: The present jade buffalo is one of the most 'lifelike' portrayals of this small group, the unusual coloring of the stone in different tones of buff and grey being reminiscent of the actual animals' skin. The rather eccentric choice of material, distinctly colored and veined, might best fit a late Ming date, while the masculine strength, elegance, and simplicity of the sculpting are in tune with stylistic principles of the Kangxi reign.China, 17th to early 18th century. Powerfully carved in a recumbent pose, the right foreleg bent with the knee raised, the other legs tucked underneath the stout muscular body, the neatly incised tail flung to the left, the head turned in a position emphasizing the beast's humped back. Its strong appearance contrasting with the calm, docile expression of its proud face, marked by almond-shaped eyes with incised pupils, and further detailed with an impressive pair of horns curving exactly parallel to the funnel-shaped ears. The smoothly polished, opaque stone is of a fine gray tone with black and russet shadings and veins, smokey and cloudy inclusions, the face and horns with partly calcified areas of 'chicken bone'. Excellent polish, resulting in an unctuous surface feel overall.Provenance: Rare Art, Inc., New York, USA, 1973. A private collection in the United States, acquired from the above and thence by descent. A copy of the original invoice from Rare Art, dated 30 May 1973, stating a purchase price for the present lot of USD 6,400 or approx. EUR 40,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. The base with an old label from Rare Art stating the original listing price for the present lot of USD 8,000 or approx. EUR 50,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing). Condition: Very good condition with expected ancient wear, few small nicks here and there, the stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks.Weight: 4,747 g Dimensions: Length 23.5 cm Jade buffalo, like this superbly carved example, have traditionally been greatly prized in China, where the animal is associated with strength, prosperity and tranquility. The ox or buffalo is one of the twelve horary animals representing one of the twelve branches of the Chinese calendrical system. Buffalo are also associated with farming and the production of food. The poetic view of the buffalo resonated with Chan Buddhists and Daoists alike, suggesting retreat into a tranquil rural life away from the cities and the responsibilities of public office.The popularity of these creatures has an ancient source, since the legendary Emperor Yu of the Xia dynasty (c. 2100-1600 BC) is said to have cast an iron ox or buffalo to subdue the floods. This theme was taken up by the Qianlong Emperor (1736-95), when in 1755 he had a large bronze ox cast and placed looking out over Kunming Lake at the Summer Palace. On the animal's back was cast an 80-character essay in seal script referring to Yu's casting of the iron buffalo to control the floods. The mythological and practical auspiciousness of buffalo ensured that they were included among animal figures from early times, and by the period of the late Ming into the early Qing dynasty, a group of large finely carved jade figures was being produced. These buffalo were clearly treasured by the Imperial family since several of the extant examples are known to have come from the Summer Palace in 1860.Literature comparison:Compare a related gray and black jade buffalo from the Somerset de Chair and Mrs. Parsons collections, at Sotheby's London, 18 July 1952, lot 50, and again, 9 June 2004, lot 151. Compare a related gray and black jade buffalo from the collection of Lord Gladwyn, illustrated by Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, British Museum, London, 1995, pl. 26:19, where the author notes that the buffalo is “said to have come from the Summer Palace, Beijing during the China War of 1860." The provenance for the British Museum buffalo is further detailed in the footnote to lot 11 in Sotheby's London, 15 December 1987, noting that the British Museum jade buffalo was ... looted from the Summer Palace, Peking in 1860 and rescued on the troop ship from a soldier who was attempting to break it up for easier concealment on coming ashore...'.Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7 April 2010, lot 1909 Price: HKD 7,820,000 or approx. EUR 1,302,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare large black and gray jade water buffalo, early Qing dynasty Expert remark: Compare the related modeling with similar pose, features, and expression, manner of carving, and color of the jade with similar shadings of gray and black (albeit lacking the areas of chicken-bone). Note the tuft of hair on the buffalo's forehead. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie's London, 8 November 2016, lot 6 Price: GBP 60,000 or approx. EUR 99,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A mottled gray jade buffalo, 17th-18th century Expert remark: Compare the related modeling, manner of carving, and color of the jade. Note the smaller size (14 cm). 明末清初大型灰黑色玉水牛中國, 十七至十八世紀初。由于平台拍品叙述的长度限制，我们移除了中文叙述，完整中文叙述请至www.zacke.at查看

A PAIR OF GILT-BRONZE AND CLOISONNE ENAMEL LUDUAN, CHINA, 18TH - 19TH CENTURYWell modeled in mirror image, each seated on its haunches with the head raised and mouth slightly agape revealing a set of sharp fangs. The gilt face set with a broad ruyi-shaped snout, a pair of bulging eyes below a thick, neatly incised brow flanked by two floppy ears, the head surmounted by a ribbed and curved horn. Their bodies are finely decorated in bright enamels with dragon and phoenix designs as well as floral diaper, and their fur is well detailed with gilt wire, the spines with scroll terminating in flaming tails. The claws and pads of their paws are gilt. (2)Provenance: From a private collection of Chinese art and jade carvings in London, United Kingdom, built between the 1970s and 1990s, and thence by descent.Condition: Flaking and minute losses to enamels with associated minor old fills and touchups, otherwise in good condition with expected wear and manufacturing irregularities, small dents, and light scratches.Weight: 553.2 g and 563 gDimensions: Height 15 cm (each) Luduan are legendary beasts believed to be capable of detecting the truth, traveling great distances in short amounts of time (9,000 km/day), and mastering different languages. Often mistaken for Qilin, which have hooved feet, luduan tend to have rounder bodies and clawed paws. Known as the guardian of enlightened rulers, it was said that this mythical animal was originally named 'jiaoduan', but Emperor Qin Shihuang decided to use 'luduan' because the Chinese character 'lu' matched the image of the unicorn better. During the Ming and Qing eras, incense burners, seals and statues by doorways were usually shaped as Luduan because of its auspicious associations.Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's Paris, 16 December 2022, lot 48Price: EUR 25,200 or approx. EUR 26,500 adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A pair of cloisonne enamel luduan censers, China, Qing dynasty, 18th-19th centuryExpert remark: Compare the closely related subject and related modeling with similar poses and heads with open mouths. Note that this lot comprises a pair of censers, while the present lot are figures. Note the size (19.5 cm).Auction result comparison:Type: Closely relatedAuction: Bonhams London, 12 May 2016, lot 212Price: GBP 5,000 or approx. EUR 8,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A pair of cloisonne enamel mythical beasts, luduan, 18th/19th centuryExpert remark: Compare the closely related subject and related modeling with similar poses and heads with open mouths. Note the size (20 cm). 十八至十九世紀一對銅鎏金掐絲琺瑯甪端造型精美，甪端呈半坐狀坐於後腿之上，抬頭，嘴巴微張，露出鋒利的獠牙。鎏金的臉上有一個寬闊的如意形鼻子，濃密而整齊的眉毛下有一雙大眼，兩側各有一隻下垂的耳朵，頭上有一個有棱紋的角。它們的身體上以琺瑯飾有精美的龍鳳圖案的，以及纏枝花卉紋，他們的皮毛上有銅線細節，火焰狀尾巴。爪子鎏金。(2) 來源：來自英國倫敦中國藝術品和玉雕私人收藏，建於二十世紀七十年代至九十年代，傳承自今。 品相：琺瑯剝落和微小損失，伴有輕微的小修，有磨損和製造不規則、小凹痕和輕微劃痕。 重量：分別爲553.2克與563 克 尺寸：各高 15 厘米 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：巴黎佳士得，2022年12月16日，lot 48 價格：EUR 25,200（相當於今日EUR 26,500） 描述：清十八/十九世紀掐絲琺琅甪端香爐 一對 專家評論：比較非常相近的主題，以及相近的張口姿勢。請注意此為一對爐，以及尺寸 (19.5 釐米)。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：非常相近 拍賣：倫敦邦瀚斯，2016年5月12日，lot 212 價格：GBP 5,000（相當於今日EUR 8,300） 描述：十八/十九世紀銅胎掐絲琺瑯甪端 一對 專家評論：比較非常相近的主題，以及相近的張口姿勢。請注意尺寸 (20 釐米)。