A SELECTION OF JADE CARVINGS FROM THE SABET FAMILY COLLECTION (LOTS 1083-1088) Habib Sabet (1904-1990) was one of the most prominent Persian industrialists of the 20th century. A self-made businessman, he founded over 40 companies and introduced the first television station to Iran in 1958, before leaving the country for Europe and New York in 1975. An avid collector and philanthropist, Sabet had a keen eye and a passion for Chinese jades and carvings. His vast collection of works of art also included fine 18th-century French furniture and decorative arts, selections of which are now in the Louvre Museum, Paris, and the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles. Christie's is pleased to offer this distinguished group of six jades, all primarily acquired by Sabet in the 1960s.

A GREENISH-WHITE JADE CARVING OF A PHOENIX WITH WATER POT

18TH/19TH CENTURY

Details

A GREENISH-WHITE JADE CARVING OF A PHOENIX WITH WATER POT
18TH/19TH CENTURY
The carving depicts an elegant phoenix with long, finely detailed tail feathers, standing on pierced, flowering branches, its head turned to rest on a large peony blossom. The trunk, from which the branches issue, is hollowed to function as a water pot. The stone is of even tone.
6 1/8 in. (15.6 cm.) high, wood stand

Provenance

Christie's London, 16 July 1963, lot 8.
Habib Sabet, Europe and New York, 1970s, and thence by descent within the family.

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Lot Essay

The water vessel in this group is cleverly concealed within the rock formation on which the bird rests. The inclusion of a water pot, that is not an integral part of the phoenix itself, is quite unusual; most jade bird-form vases incorporate the vessel within or on top of the back of the bird.

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