VARIOUS PROPERTIES
A RARE EARLY PALE YELLOWISH-GREEN JADE FIGURE OF A BEAR

Details
A RARE EARLY PALE YELLOWISH-GREEN JADE FIGURE OF A BEAR
HAN DYNASTY

Well carved in a seated position with the left rear leg drawn forward between the firmly planted front paws, with back rounded and head extended as the mouth is opened in a growl, with small laid-back ears and small circular eyes set within softly beveled, recessed sockets, the yellowish-green stone softly polished and with some cloudy areas and russet flecks
2in. (5.1cm.) long

Lot Essay

Other small jade bear carvings dated to the Han dynasty have been published, and each is different from the other. One such figure is the small white jade standing bear found in the area of the tomb of the Han emperor, Yuandi (r. 48-33 B.C.), near Xi'an, Shaanxi province, illustrated by Jessica Rawson in the Catalogue, Chinese Jade, from the Neolithic to the Qing, British Museum, 1995, p. 351, fig. 2 (a), where the author also illustrates a bear scratching its ear, in the British Museum, p. 350., fig. 1. Another small jade bear in the collection of Sir Joseph Hotung is illustrated op. cit, p. 359, no. 26:3