China, 206 BC-220 AD. The phoenix carved with its head turned to the side, flanked by finely incised wings, the feet tucked below the body, and pierced horizontally for suspension at the chest. The semi-translucent stone is of a pale yellow tone with russet patches.
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 old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, and minor nibbling.
Weight: 156 g
Dimensions: Length 10 cm
Literature comparison:
Compare a related jade figure of a turtledove, dated Mid-Western Han to Eastern Han period, in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, image number K1C005676N000000000PAC.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 September 2023, lot 801
Price: USD 126,000 or approx. EUR 118,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare and important pale greenish-white and grey jade figure of a recumbent bird, Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220)
Expert remark: Compare the related subject, form, and material. Note the color of the jade and smaller size (8.6 cm).
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