Null A RARE NEOLITHIC JADE DRAGON 松澤文化玉龍 Songze culture (4000–3300 BC) Carved i…

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A RARE NEOLITHIC JADE DRAGON 松澤文化玉龍 Songze culture (4000–3300 BC) Carved in the form of a coiled dragon with its tail curving towards the long head, deftly carved with protruding eyes on both sides, softly polished in stone of a pink-grey tone. H: 4.9cm PROVENANCE Acquired in Hong Kong in the 1990s. 90年代購於香港

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A RARE NEOLITHIC JADE DRAGON 松澤文化玉龍 Songze culture (4000–3300 BC) Carved in the form of a coiled dragon with its tail curving towards the long head, deftly carved with protruding eyes on both sides, softly polished in stone of a pink-grey tone. H: 4.9cm PROVENANCE Acquired in Hong Kong in the 1990s. 90年代購於香港

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Estim. 1 500 - 3 000 EUR

YAMAGUCHI SHOJOSAI: AN UNUSUAL GOLD-LACQUER THREE-CASE INRO IN THE FORM OF AN OI (MONK’S BACKPACK) YAMAGUCHI SHOJOSAI: AN UNUSUAL GOLD-LACQUER THREE-CASE INRO IN THE FORM OF AN OI (MONK’S BACKPACK) By Yamaguchi Shojosai, signed Shojosai saku 松杖斎作 with kakihan Japan, mid-20 th century, Showa era (1926-1989) In the form of a mountain monk's backpack (oi) raised on four feet, the three-case inro bearing a lustrous gold kinji ground, finely decorated in iro-e hiramaki-e and takamaki-e, as well as hirame gold flakes, to simulate various features of an oi. The front mimicking the backpack’s wooden panel doors worked with a sublime mokume ground (simulated wood grain), locked together in place with a clasp, against the typical twill-plaited bamboo panels, the top and bottom registers decorated with a stylized foliate sprig and diapered geometric ground, this design is continued to the sides, the verso further decorated with two braided ropes which form the carrying straps. Signed to the underside SHOJOSAI saku [made by Shojosai] with the artist’s kakihan in red lacquer. The interior compartments of nashiji with gold fundame edges. With a gold lacquer ojime. HEIGHT 11.3 cm, WIDTH 8.3 cm, DEPTH 4.1 cm Condition: Excellent condition with only very minor wear. Provenance: Ex-collection Alan and Simone Hartman. Alan Hartman was born on 9 January 1930, the son of Hazel and Urban Hartman. Urban Hartman opened a shop dealing in Oriental art on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1927 and Hartman Rare Art was incorporated in 1945. Alan grew up surrounded by works of art; he purchased his first jade when he was a child – he was 12 – and from that moment until his passing, he continued to acquire antiques and works of art. For a while Alan worked with his brother, Roland, and when they split, he made the decision to run the business on his own. Hence the name Rare Art was to endure, and Alan owned substantial galleries on Madison Avenue in New York and at one point stores in Dallas and Palm Beach. Anyone who visited his New York stores will remember that it was easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer breadth of the stock – including Chinese from Neolithic to the 20th century, Japanese, silver, and jades and hardstones from all over the world. Privately, however, Alan and his second wife, the love of his life, Simone, purchased special pieces for their homes – fine Japanese works of art and objets de vertu, Impressionist paintings, magnificent jades, the best Tang and Ming ceramics, archaic Chinese bronzes, gold boxes, and an important collection of Huguenot silver. Parts of his collection have been donated to the Alan and Simone Hartman Galleries in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Brooklyn Museum, and the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. With a wood tomobako inscribed to the cover, ‘Tsuta no hosomichi on-inro’ [inro with the Narrow Ivy Road] in allusion to a chapter in Ise monogatari (The Tales of Ise, tenth century), in which travelers pass through an ivy-covered mountain pass. Yamaguchi Shojosai was born Yamaguchi Shozaburo in Niigata; disabled by polio at an early age, he used crutches throughout his life and borrowed two characters from the Japanese word for crutches, matsubazue, to form his own art name. After a time spent lacquering mass-produced butsudan (household Buddhist altars) he joined the Tobe studio and began to manufacture inro and other maki-e items of superior quality, becoming an independent artist in 1928. He made fine inro both before and after World War II.

Estim. 2 000 - 4 000 EUR

SHOTO: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A WILD BOAR SHOTO: A SUPERB WOOD NETSUKE OF A WILD BOAR By Shoto, signed Shoto 松涛 Japan, Iwashiro Province, mid-19 th century, Edo period (1615-1868) A superbly carved wood netsuke, of compact design, depicting a recumbent long-snouted boar with a wild hairstyle and meticulously engraved fur. The eyes are inlaid in dark horn encircled with gilt metal, which is typical for the school of Hidari Issan, whom this carver is associated with. The underside shows the beautifully carved feet which are folded underneath the body, the asymmetrical himotoshi, the smaller hole ringed in stained bone, and the signature within an oval reserve underneath the right haunch SHOTO. LENGTH 4.5 cm Condition: Excellent condition with only minor wear. Literature comparison: The artist was a rare follower/pupil of Hidari Issan and only a few of his netsuke are recorded. A wood netsuke depicting a dragon clutching a tama, signed Shoto, published in Barker & Smith (1976), Netsuke: The Miniature Sculpture of Japan, no. 247 and located in the British Museum, accession no. F. 296. further illustrates this point. Auction comparison: Compare to a wood netsuke of a boar, by Hidari issan, at Bonhams, Fine Japanese Works of Art including Selections from the Collection of Ruth and Carl Barron, 16 September 2014, New York, lot 2074 ( sold for 5,625 USD).

Estim. 6 000 - 12 000 EUR

A TWO-TIERED IVORY JADE CONG, LIANGZHU CULTURE A TWO-TIERED IVORY JADE CONG, LIANGZHU CULTURE China, late Neolithic period, c. 3300-2200 BC. The thick-walled cong with gently rounded sides and a cylindrical interior, carved to each corner with a stylized human and animal mask design. The eyes and noses as well as the raised bands above the human mask and recesses in between are finely incised with line and scroll designs. The faces are divided with a gently recessed vertical band to the center of each side. The opaque stone of a cream and beige tone with milky inclusions, as well as russet veins, and calcification. Provenance: The Shibata family collection, Japan. Galleri Kokoro, Stockholm, Sweden. Swedish private collection, acquired from the above in 1998. Condition: Very good condition with wear commensurate with age. Natural imperfections, smoothened losses to edges, tiny nicks, few natural fissures, and signs of weathering and erosion. Few hairlines which may have developed into cracks. The stone with alterations. Weight: 512.8 g Dimensions: Diameter 9.7 cm, Height 5.6 cm With a padded silk box and cover. (2) The present cong displays the distinctive characteristic of Liangzhu culture cong vessels, with a square outer section around a circular inner part and decorated with stylised masks neatly arranged on each of the four corners. The exceptional craftsmanship is particularly notable in the very delicate and precise quality of the carving and incised decoration, enhanced by the lustrous patina formed on the surface over time. One interpretation of the function of cong is that it symbolised the earth. Although the precise meaning and use of the cong is not entirely clear, it was found in extensive numbers in Liangzhu tombs and is believed to be of great significance. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s London, 4 November 2021, lot 385 Estimate: GBP 250,000 or approx. EUR 354,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare calcified jade cong, Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture Expert remark: Compare the closely related two-tiered form, manner of carving, mask motifs, and ivory-cream color of the stone. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2018, lot 4 Price: HKD 21,700,000 or approx. EUR 2,863,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A very rare archaic jade ritual vessel, cong, Neolithic Period, Liangzhu Culture Expert remark: Compare the closely related two-tiered form, manner of carving, ivory-cream color, and similar stylized human and animal mask design. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 3080 Price: HKD 3,700,000 or approx. EUR 486,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A very jade cong, late Liangzhu culture, c. 3000-2500 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related two-tiered form, manner of carving, mask motifs, and ivory-cream color of the stone with inclusions of russet.

Estim. 800 - 1 600 EUR

A CELADON AND BROWN CHI DRAGON JADE SWORD CHAPE, HAN DYNASTY A CELADON AND BROWN CHI DRAGON JADE SWORD CHAPE, HAN DYNASTY China, Han dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) Of compressed trapezoidal shape with gracefully arched upper edge. Both sides are beautifully adorned with the motif of two Chi dragons, with the head of one dragon protruding above the upper edge. The bodies of the dragons are sinuous and perfectly arranged. The base is pierced with one deep hole between two smaller ones. The stone is semi translucent, and of a celadon hue with russet inclusions to the one side, while the other side is dark brown with some nice russet and reddish spots. As art historian, Alain R. Truong, points out that with its connotations of magical protective powers, jade was a particularly appropriate material for weaponry fittings. It was believed to enhance the material strength and force of both the weapon and its wielder. During the Western Han dynasty, jade sword fittings with three-dimensional chi dragon were particularly popular. See J. Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1996, p.294. Condition: Very good condition with expected traces of weathering and wear as well as natural inclusions to the stone. Provenance: Canadian private collection. Weight: 48 g Dimensions: Length 5.2 cm AUCTION RESULT COMPARISON: Type: Related Price: Sold at 1,600,000 HKD, approx. 189,000 EUR Auction: Bonhams, The Sze Tang Collection of Chinese Jades, 5 th of April 2016, Lot 15. Description: A pale green jade “chi” dragon sword chape, bi

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