A FINE GREEN JADE FIGURE OF A BIXIE, SIX DYNASTIES PERIOD (220–589 AD)

拍品描述

A FINE GREEN JADE FIGURE OF A BIXIE, SIX DYNASTIES PERIOD (220–589 AD) Expert’s note This work should be understood within the broader development of the bixie image from the Han dynasty into the Six Dynasties period. While the numerous surviving Han representations generally adhere to comparatively restrained and well-established conventions, the motif had become deeply embedded in the artistic vocabulary by the Six Dynasties. Sculptors were therefore able—and perhaps increasingly compelled—to reinterpret the familiar type, introducing greater movement, complexity, and visual potency. The present carving is an outstanding manifestation of this development: the traditional chimeric beast is retained, yet its individual elements are elaborated and animated to an exceptional degree. The vigorously coiling tail, striated horns, openwork wings, and their unusual disposition transform an established sculptural formula into a markedly more dynamic composition. China. Well carved in dynamic crouching stance, charged with wild ferocity. The muscular limbs terminate in sharp claws, the forelegs flanked by a par of elegantly curved wings, the long coiling tail deeply incised. The powerfully modeled head with large bulging eyes, a prominent snout with gaping jaws revealing sharp fangs, and a long goatee that extends downward to meet the chest, all flanked by two pointed funnel-shaped ears swept back alongside a pair of ribbed horns. The superbly polished, opaque stone is of a mottled dark green tone, with dark specks, russet patches, and areas of creamy-beige calcification. Dimensions: Length 13.6 cm With a padded-silk storage box. (2) Pixiu are mythical hybrid creatures, considered powerful protectors, resembling strong, winged tigers or lions, auspicious for wealth, and said to have a voracious appetite exclusively for gold, silver, and jewels. Therefore, pixiu have always been regarded as being capable of drawing ‘cai qi’ (wealth) from all directions, and according to the Chinese zodiac, they are especially helpful for those who are going through a bad year. There are two types of pixiu: the one with two horns is the female, called bixie. The one with only one antler is the male, called tianlu. Emperor Wu of the Han dynasty declared that the pixiu would be forever known as the ‘Treasure of the Emperor’, that only royal personage could possess a pixiu, and that it was strictly forbidden for all others to own one, including officials. This law was kept through to the very end of the Qing dynasty. Lifelike sculptures of these mythical beings made from durable materials, such as jade, were made to embody and pacify the elemental and supernatural forces of the living world. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2024, lot 361 Mid-estimate: HKD 700,000 or approx. EUR 77,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the closely related subject, modeling, and manner of carving, with similar crouching pose and gaping jaws. Note the different color of the stone, also with areas of creamy-white calcification, and the much smaller size (8.7 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie's Hong Kong, 31 May 2017, lot 2743 Mid-estimate: HKD 375,000 or approx. EUR 46,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the similar subject, modeling, and manner of carving, with analogous crouching pose and upright wings. Note the different color of the stone and much smaller size (6.5 cm).

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