A GREY JADE ‘BIRD’ PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY A GREY JADE ‘BIRD’ PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY China, Late Western Zhou dynasty, c. 11 th – 9 th century BC The jade is decorated in low relief with geometrical decoration of stylized scrolls, eyes, comma spirals and parallel lines to both sides. Two tiny holes pierced at the upper part and on the side. The translucent jade with extensive signs of natural weathering and of an appealing, pale grey color with some milky patches and delicate, darker inclusions. Condition: Very good condition with extensive weathering, tiny notches and wear as well as natural inclusions and fissures to the stone. Provenance: Canadian private collection. Weight: 12 g Dimensions: Height 5.3 cm

Estimate 1 200 - 2 400 EUR

Starting price 1 200 EUR

* Not including buyer’s premium.
Please read the conditions of sale for more information.

Sale fees: 30 %

Leave bid

For sale on Thursday 05 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)

vienna, Austria

Galerie Zacke
+4315320452

Browse the catalogue Sales terms Sale info

Delivery to
Change delivery address

Estimate your delivery

Delivery is not mandatory.
You may use the carrier of your choice.
The indicated price does not include the price of the lot or the auction house's fees.

A REWORKED JADE FRAGMENT OF A DISC, SHANG – ZHOU A REWORKED JADE FRAGMENT OF A DISC, SHANG – ZHOU China, Shang dynasty (1600-1050 BC) to Zhou dynasty (1046-256 BC). Of arc form, with a shallow ridge to one side, and three pierced apertures at the edges. The translucent stone is of a dark green tone with russet veins. Condition: Good condition with minor wear and few minuscule chips to the edges. Provenance: Estate of Wolfgang Zacke (1942-2022), co-founder of Galerie Zacke, thence by descent. Weight: 4.8 g Dimensions: Length 5.1 cm

Lot 1726

Estim. 200 - 400 EUR

A JADE ‘BIRD’ PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY A JADE ‘BIRD’ PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY China, 11 th-8 th century BC. The thick flattened plaque finely carved in the form of a recumbent bird in profile, detailed with incised feathers, sharp beak with pierced aperture for suspension, and round eyes. Opaque stone of a mottled greenish-brown tone with russet veins. Provenance: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964), acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate, as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war, substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley’s death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot. Condition: Good condition with expected old wear, minuscule nibbling, small losses, tiny nicks, minor signs of weathering and erosion. Weight: 8.6 g Dimensions: Length 4.6 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related jade bird, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty, 5.1 cm long, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 50.46.247. Compare a related jade bird pendant, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty, 4.3 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 2022,3034.111. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 April 2019, lot 3446 Price: HKD 75,000 or approx. EUR 9,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A celadon jade ‘bird’ plaque, Shang dynasty Expert remark: Compare the related form and incision work. Note the smaller size (4.7 cm).

Lot 1729

Estim. 800 - 1 600 EUR

† A PALE CELADON JADE ‘TIGER’ PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY † A PALE CELADON JADE ‘TIGER’ PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY China, 6 th to 5 th century BC. Of flattened form, in the form of a tiger, the back arched, the tail curled to form an aperture, its mouth ajar revealing sharp fangs, and finely incised with eyes, nose, and C-scrolls at the body. Pierced at the neck for suspension. The semi-translucent stone of a pale celadon tone with light russet inclusions and areas of calcification. Provenance: U.S. collection. The authentication of this piece was conducted by Senior Fellow Gu Fang of the Institute of Archeology Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) on 12 July 2006, number 526, described as ‘Jade tiger’, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty, signed by Gu Fang, and notarized by Notary Noreen J. Lowery, New York. Gu Fang, born 1962 in Beijing, graduated from the Department of Archeology of the prestigious Beijing University in 1986. He later studied at the CASS where he is now working as a Senior Fellow specializing in Archeological excavations and research on Chinese Jades. Gu Fang authored several books on Chinese jades including 15 volumes on ‘The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China’, one of the largest collections of Chinese jades to date. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, signs of weathering and erosion, few minor smoothened chips, and nicks. External Expert Authentication: A copy of the authentication report from Senior Fellow Gu Fang of the Institute of Archeology Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) accompanies this lot and will be transmitted to the winning bidder. Weight: 23 g Dimensions: Length 8.5 cm Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 23 September 2020, lot 568 Price: USD 403,200 or approx. EUR 450,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An archaic jade 'tiger' plaque, Eastern Zhou dynasty Expert remark: Compare the related curved form, the fine incision work and color of the jade. Note the larger size (14 cm). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.

Lot 1730

Estim. 1 200 - 2 400 EUR

A FINE WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘TIGER’ PENDANT, SPRING AND AUTUMN A FINE WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘TIGER’ PENDANT, SPRING AND AUTUMN China, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period, c. 6th- 5th century BC An impressive jade depicting a crouching tiger in profile. Its head with spout-like nose is turned to the left, the short tail is coiled, and the paws tucked in. The front side is entirely covered with a dense pattern of fat comma spirals in relief. The backside of the pendant is plain and nicely polished. The stone is semi-translucent with a band of white jade running through the lower part of the tiger, whilst its back and head are of a russet hue. The shape of the ornament is derived from similar, earlier late Western Zhou jades excavated from the royal tombs at the Tianma-Qucun cemetery, Shanxi province. However, the decoration is rendered in a significantly different manner as the motifs are carved in relief, not engraved, as in the previous Western Zhou tradition. Condition: Very good condition with expected traces of weathering, small chips, and wear as well as natural inclusions and fissures to the stone. Provenance: Canadian private collection. Weight: 34 g Dimensions: Length 8 cm

We respect your privacy:

Cookie management: