China, c. 1600-1046 BC. Well carved, crouching on all fours and terminating in a long tapering tail curling upwards at the end, the muscular contours of the horned beast, superbly rendered with rounded outlines, incised overall with double-line grooves, pierced through the sides of the wide open jaws. The translucent jade is of a white tone with russet veins and inclusions.

Provenance: From a private collector of Chinese jades in the United Kingdom, who over the last ten years has been supplementing the jade collection he inherited from his father, assembled in London during the 1970s.
Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, signs of weathering and erosion, minute nibbles, microscopic nicks. The jade with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.

Weight: 47.5 g
Dimensions: Length 9.1 cm

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie's New York, 18 March 2009, lot 259
Price: USD 60,000 or approx. EUR 81,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Three rare small jade animal-form pendants, late Shang/early Western Zhou dynasty, 12th-10th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of carving, similarly pierced through the sides of the wide open jaws. Note that the lot comprises two further jade pendants. Note the smaller size (5.3 cm).