A VERY RARE JADE HALBERD BLADE WITH TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE SHAFT, GE

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PROPERTY FROM A PRINCELY COLLECTIONChristie’s is delighted to bring to the market this exquisite group of archaic jades from the Baron and Baroness von Oertzen Collection, all of which were acquired by current owner from the Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art auction in London, 4 November 2008. The late Baroness Irene von Oertzen (1908-2007) and her husband Baron Klaus-Detlof von Oertzen (1894 - 1991), were passionate collectors of Chinese art, and together they amassed a remarkable collection of great scope and quality, particularly with regards to Chinese jade carvings. The Baroness could not only speak and write Chinese fluently, she also had a profound understanding of the Chinese culture, having lived and worked there for seven years. The Baron is descended from one of the oldest families of North Germany and was a world-renowned industrialist involved in the motor industry for most of his long life. The couple settled in South Africa after the Second World War, and he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Volkswagen of South Africa". In 1932 Baron von Oertzen, who had been in charge of sales at the motor manufacturer Wanderer, became sales director and chairman of the board of directors of Auto Union - the amalgamation of Wanderer and three other German manufacturers, namely Audi, DKW and Horch, under the pressures of the depressed German economy. The new company's four-ringed emblem, which von Oertzen suggested, can still be seen in the modern Audi logo. The Baron and Baroness travelled in 1938 via India to Australia, where they stayed for two years, setting up a factory to manufacture the DKW saloon. Before the outbreak of war the car was selling at the rate of 2000 a year in Australia and New Zealand. As the war clouds gathered business was declining, and the couple arrived in Batavia (modern day Jakarta) of the Dutch East Indies. In May 1940 Hitler invaded Holland, and the Baron and Baroness were interned separately in prison camps by the Dutch authorities. He was later transferred to India as the Japanese approached Singapore, while she was transferred to China. The Baroness managed to get a job working for the Canadian Consulate General in China, and during her years in China she began her studies in Chinese culture and language. It was during this period that her passion for Chinese art developed. The Baroness had a special fondness for jade carvings, and the von Oertzen collection includes a distinguished group of archaic jade pieces.The Baroness through her contacts in the consulate managed to transfer her husband to China, and was finally reunited with him after six years of separation. Just as the Baron established himself in Shanghai as a second-hand car dealer, the civil war broke out between the Communists and the Nationalists and the couple found themselves once again embroiled in war. They eventually had to leave and returned to South Africa in 1948. In 1951 Volkswagen in Germany appointed Baron von Oertzen as their representative in South Africa. He was instrumental in the early stages of negotiations to bring Volkswagen to South Africa, and was present at the historic signing in 1951 of the agreement between SAMAD and Volkswagenwerk to assemble Volkswagens in Uitenhage. When Volkswagenwerk took over a controlling interest in SAMAD in 1956, he became the chairman of the company, which eventually changed its name to Volkeswagen of South Afirca. The Baroness in her later years divided her time between Johannesburg and Switzerland. She was a guest of honour at the opening of the AutoPavilion in 2004, where a Jagdwagen Kombi, the second Kombi ever to arrive in South Africa, belonging to Baron von Oertzen, is on display.

A VERY RARE JADE HALBERD BLADE WITH TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE SHAFT, GE

LATE SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG, 12TH-11TH CENTURY BC

Details

A VERY RARE JADE HALBERD BLADE WITH TURQUOISE-INLAID BRONZE SHAFT, GE
LATE SHANG DYNASTY, ANYANG, 12TH-11TH CENTURY BC
The jade blade is well polished to each side with four facets and drilled from one side with a fastening hole. The bronze shaft is cast to each side with a stylised ram's head inlaid with turquoise. The stone is of a greyish-green tone with opaque-white alteration showing markings of straw matt wrapping.
9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm.) long

Provenance

The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 117.
Property From a Princely Collection.

Literature

S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p. 42, no. A38.

Special notice

These lots have been imported from outside the EU or, if the UK has withdrawn from the EU without an agreed transition deal, from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.

Conditions of sale

Brought to you by

Kate Hunt Director, Head of Department

khunt@christies.com +44 (0) 20 7752 3389

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