MID-WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, CIRCA MID-10TH-MID-9TH CENTURY BC

Details

A VERY SMALL AND RARE JADE PIG
MID-WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, CIRCA MID-10TH-MID-9TH CENTURY BC
The stone is carved in the round as a pig standing upright. It is carved utilising simple stroke lines and grooves rendering a lively representation of the animal with a curved snout and pointed ears. A small circular aperture is pierced through the neck of the animal.
1 1/2 in. (4 cm.) long, box

Provenance

The Yangdetang Collection, Taipei, acquired prior to 1999

Literature

Teng Shu-p’ing, Collectors’ Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Taipei, 1999, pl. 83

Exhibited

National Palace Museum, Collectors’ Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Taipei, 1999, Catalogue, pl. 83

Brought to you by

Stephenie Tsoi

stsoi@christies.com +852 2978 9955

Lot Essay

The present pig carving, though minimalistic in detail, makes use of simple stroke lines and grooves to conjure up a lively representation of the animal and is truly a testament to the artistry of the carver. The aperture underneath the neck suggests it might have been worn as a pendant. Compare to a flattened jade pig excavated in a tomb in Zhangjiapocun in Shaanxi, which, similar to the present piece, is also incised with two curved lines on the body to represent the muscles in the front and hind legs (fig. 1). This example, dating to the Western Zhou period, is also 4 cm. long and is currently in the collection of Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji 2- Shang & Western Zhou, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pl. 228 (left).

More from Chinese Archaic Jades from The Yangdetang Collection

View All