A CHARMING, TINY CARVING OF A BIRD WITH A JAGGED CREST

Jade. China, Western Zhou, 11th - 10th century BC 玉鳥 -西周, 公元前11世紀–前10世紀

This tiny crested bird, perhaps a rooster, is another delightful example of the Western Zhou carvers' ability to render character through just a few simple carved lines. The bird is represented in profile with a turned back head, as if perched on a branch. The bird is well proportioned, and the gentle curve of the body is balanced by the pointed beak, protruding crest, tail feathers, and feet that rest on a small squared-off base. There is also a suspension hole, drilled obliquely from both sides, that pierces the bird´s chest. Shallow incisions in the form of lines and curves indicate the wings, tail, beak and claws, while the bulging eyes are carved in high relief. The smoothly polished light green jade has turned amber in many places, especially by the extremities -crest, feet and tail- with additional alteration in the form of black speckles on one side, near the hole.

For a pair of early Western Zhou carvings of birds with similar three-pointed crests from tomb no.63 of the Shanxi Quwo site, see Gu Fang, Zhongguo gu yuqi tu dian 中國古玉器圖典 (The pictorial handbook of ancient Chinese jades), Beijing 2007, p.131. In Western collections, two birds with similar pointed crests are in the Harvard Art Museums (accession numbers 1943.50.214/215): see M. Loehr and L.G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge 1975, nos.131 and 132.

Provenance: From an old Austrian collection

HEIGHT 4.5 CM - WIDTH 2.5 CM 高 4.5 厘米 - 寬2.5 厘米

Expertise: Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati

All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and dated by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby's.