Published: Jean-Paul Desroches, Two Americans in Paris: a Quest for Asian Art. Lienart editions: Paris, 2016, p. 45, no. 72.

China, circa 3300-2200 BC. Of circular form with a central aperture drilled from both sides to form an encircling ridge. The variegated stone of an ivory tone with deep green and russet inclusions, patches of gray color, calcification, and extensive veining.

Provenance: From the Sam and Myrna Myers Collection. Sam and Myrna are first generation Americans, who shared a taste for collecting beautiful objects of art. On a trip to Ascona, Switzerland, the couple stumbled into a small antique shop which started their journey of collecting antiques. When Sam Myers was sent to Paris by his law firm in the mid-1960s, he and his wife Myrna became so enamored with the city that they decided to make it their home. There, over the course of 50 years, they built an extraordinary art collection, and in 1976, Myrna opened a gallery in Paris specializing in Asian art. Their collection spans a wide range of precious objects from Chinese jades, ceramics, textiles, Indian ivory carvings, to Japanese clothing and lacquer, some of which was exhibited in the Kimbell Art Museum. Part of their collection was sold at Sotheby’s, London ‘Two Americans in Paris, The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers’, on 4 November 2021. The couple also worked together with jade expert Filippo Salviati to create one of the most outstanding jade collections globally and authored several books on jade, including ‘Radiant Stones’ (2000), ‘The Language of Adornment’ (2002) and ‘Genèse de l’empire céleste’ (2020).
Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear and weathering, as expected, with some nicks and chips which have smoothened over time. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks. Calcification throughout.

Weight: 656.8 g
Dimensions: Diameter 15.8 cm

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 19 March 2015, lot 480
Price: USD 25,000 or approx. EUR 33,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A mottled ivory-toned and olive-green hardstone Bi disc, southeast China, Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, 3^rd millennium BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and mottling, the ivory tones with similar green and russet inclusions. Note the slightly larger size (18.3 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 9 December 2020, lot 2
Price: USD 27,500 or approx. EUR 30,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A mottled pale beige and green jade bi disc, 3^rd millennium BC, Liangzhu culture
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and mottling. Note the different color. Note the similar size (15 cm).