- 170
A SUPERB RETICULATED CELADON AND RUSSET JADE ‘DRAGON AND PEONY’ FINIAL YUAN – MING DYNASTY
Estimate
60,000 - 80,000 HKD
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Description
- Jade
intricately carved in openwork with a dragon entwined within a dense network of leaves and peony blossoms, supported on an oval base pierced with four small apertures
Condition
There are minute expected bruises and nicks to the edges and fragile openwork extremities. Sections have also possibly been lightly polished to conceal an earlier nick, especially to the edges of the base. The finial is otherwise in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
Attached to the tops of hats, jade finials carved in openwork began to be produced during the Liao and Jin dynasties and grew in popularity during the Yuan dynasty. According to Brian S. McElney in ‘Han to Song Chinese Jades’, Roger Keverne (ed.), Jade, London, 1991, p. 118, ‘The relative sudden appearance of such open-work probably resulted from improved techniques for carving jade, which must have been introduced at this time’.
A similar dragon finial, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the Museum’s exhibition Age of the Great Khan. Pluralism in Chinese Art and Culture Under the Mongols, Taipei, 2001, cat. no. IV-7; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 6, Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 110; and a third was excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang and Lady Wei at Zhongxiang, Hubei province, and included in the exhibition Ming. 50 Years that Changed China, British Museum, London, 2015, cat. no. 46. See also a further finial, in the Tianjin Museum, Tianjin, published in Jade Wares Collected by Tianjin Museum, Tianjin, 2012, pl. 154.
A similar dragon finial, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, was included in the Museum’s exhibition Age of the Great Khan. Pluralism in Chinese Art and Culture Under the Mongols, Taipei, 2001, cat. no. IV-7; another in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 6, Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, pl. 110; and a third was excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang and Lady Wei at Zhongxiang, Hubei province, and included in the exhibition Ming. 50 Years that Changed China, British Museum, London, 2015, cat. no. 46. See also a further finial, in the Tianjin Museum, Tianjin, published in Jade Wares Collected by Tianjin Museum, Tianjin, 2012, pl. 154.