China, 206 BC-220 AD. Carved in the round, depicting a bear and tiger, each tightly coiled around the other, the bear laying on its back, its head raised with the mouth ajar revealing sharp fangs below a wide snout and bulging eyes, and grasping the tiger’s ear with his paw. The tiger resting his head on the bear’s belly, the face incised with almond shaped eyes and detailed with a circular ear. The translucent stone is of a pale celadon color with few russet inclusions and some areas of surface alteration.

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 with minor wear, soil encrustations, and signs of weathering and erosion. The stone with natural fissures, some of which have developed into hairline cracks.

Weight: 238.5 g
Dimensions: Length 7.1 cm

The sculptural depiction of animals in combat was introduced to China from the nomadic and semi-nomadic cultures of Central Asia, the Eurasian steppes, and the Ordos region, and was an innovation particular to the Warring States and Han dynasty periods. Compare smaller mat weights in the form of two energetic fighting animals, such as one illustrated in the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's exhibition, ibid., p. 84, fig. c.; another from the collection of Dr. Paul Singer included in the exhibition "Animal Style" Art from East to West, Asia House Gallery, New York 1970, cat. no. 80; and a third sold at Christie's New York, 2nd December 1993, lot. 184.

Bears were depicted in Chinese art at least as early as the Shang dynasty and have been a popular totemic emblem since ancient times. From the Han dynasty (206 BC–AD 220) onwards, and probably even much earlier, bears have also been linked with military prowess, shamanism, and immortality. It might be noted that the words for 'bear' and 'virility' are exact homonyms, pronounced in Chinese as ‘xiong’. Similarly, the tiger represents strength, military prowess, and power.

Mat weights crafted from precious materials such as bronze and jade, and often gilded or inlaid with gold, silver or gemstones, represent the pinnacle of craftsmanship during the Warring States period and Han dynasty. Conceived as functional objects to hold down domestic furnishings, such as the corners of mats used either for seating or for the board game known as liubo, weights were produced in sets of four, and were also interred for use in the afterlife.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related bronze weight with tiger and bear, Han dynasty, sold at Bonhams, London, 5 November 2009, lot 19. Compare also a closely related inlaid bronze weight with tiger and bear, Han dynasty, sold at Bonhams, New York, 21 March 2022, lot 210.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 30 May 2017, lot 54
Price: HKD 2,340,000 or approx. EUR 314.000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An exceptionally rare jade mythical bird scroll weight, Eastern Han Dynasty or later
Expert remark: Compare the form. Note the slightly smaller size (6.5 cm).