Olivia Xu
Associate Specialist
Lot 137
A PALE GREEN JADE CARVING OF A TIGER Song/Yuan Dynasty or later
Amended
16 May 2024, 10:00 BST
London, New Bond StreetSold for £25,600 inc. premium
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Chen Xie
Specialist
Edward Luper
Specialist, Chinese Works of Art
A PALE GREEN JADE CARVING OF A TIGER
Song/Yuan Dynasty or later
Crisply carved, the large recumbent feline turned sharply to the right with its paws tucked beneath the squareish head baring sharp fangs, large almond-shaped eyes beneath tubular ears, the ridged spine extending down the back and terminating with a long tail sweeping beneath its right haunch, the stone of pale green tone with frost-white and russet inclusions, box. 10cm (4in) long. (2).
Crisply carved, the large recumbent feline turned sharply to the right with its paws tucked beneath the squareish head baring sharp fangs, large almond-shaped eyes beneath tubular ears, the ridged spine extending down the back and terminating with a long tail sweeping beneath its right haunch, the stone of pale green tone with frost-white and russet inclusions, box. 10cm (4in) long. (2).
Footnotes
宋/元或以後 青玉雕虎把件
Compare with a related large jade carving of a tiger, Song dynasty or later, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated by M.Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, no.75. The present piece draws inspiration from jade tigers of the Han dynasty, characterised by their coiled, reclined, or seated posture reflecting the natural shape of the pebble they were carved from. These jade sculptures typically feature squared eyes, minimal incised details, and a flattened base. They may originally have been inspired by Han dynasty bronze mat weights.
Related jade tigers can be found in various notable collections. See a black and yellow jade mythical feline, Southern Song or Yuan dynasty (12th-14th century), illustrated by A.Forsyth and B.McElney, Jades from China, Bath, 1994, no.230. Another related black jade tiger-like beast, Yuan/Ming dynasty, is illustrated in Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, p.152, no.135.
See a related pale green and brown jade carving of a tiger, Ming dynasty, which was sold at Sotheby's New York, 21 September 2021, lot 52.
Saleroom notices
Please note that the date of the present lot should be Song/Yuan Dynasty or later, and not as stated in the catalogue. 請注意此件拍品斷代為 '宋/元或以後'，與圖錄所述不同。
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