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Lot Essay
The present finial features long, flowing crest feathers and a thick beak holding a round bead, with a pair of triangular ears positioned beside the crest. The design is a blend of realism and imagination, probably not depicting a bird from real life but a divine bird imbued with spiritual power.
The bird-form staff was a symbol of supreme authority in ancient times. During the Neolithic period, it was possibly used to summon the spirits of the divine birds, acting as a medium between humans and the divine. In the pre-Qin period, the bird-form staff gradually became a symbol of the status of elders. By the Han Dynasty, it further developed into a preferential physical symbol granted by the emperor to the elderly, who took pride in possessing a staff bestowed by the emperor.
While similar bird-head form finials exist in different media from this period, it is extremely rare to find an example carved from jade. Compare a Han bronze bird-head form finial (5.7 cm. high) in the Hebei Museum, which is similar in shape to the present example featuring a tubular hollow at the neck, but without the feather on its head; and a painted wood bird-form finial in the Wuwei City Museum, Gansu Province, which similarly holds a round bead in its beak.
The bird-form staff was a symbol of supreme authority in ancient times. During the Neolithic period, it was possibly used to summon the spirits of the divine birds, acting as a medium between humans and the divine. In the pre-Qin period, the bird-form staff gradually became a symbol of the status of elders. By the Han Dynasty, it further developed into a preferential physical symbol granted by the emperor to the elderly, who took pride in possessing a staff bestowed by the emperor.
While similar bird-head form finials exist in different media from this period, it is extremely rare to find an example carved from jade. Compare a Han bronze bird-head form finial (5.7 cm. high) in the Hebei Museum, which is similar in shape to the present example featuring a tubular hollow at the neck, but without the feather on its head; and a painted wood bird-form finial in the Wuwei City Museum, Gansu Province, which similarly holds a round bead in its beak.