China, 770-221 BC. Finely carved, the arched pendant carved in openwork with two large dragon heads on both ends, gripping a vine in their mouths. The bodies of the larger dragons sheltering three smaller dragons, the head of two touching the chins of the larger dragons, and a single dragon in the center. The bodies incised with comma scrolls and archaic scrolling designs. The mostly translucent jade is of a pale celadon hue with icy inclusions, pale russet clouding, and areas of calcification.

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 ancient wear, minuscule chips smoothened over time, and minor nibbling to edges.

Weight: 23.7 g
Dimensions: Length 10.5 cm

This Huang shows a degree of complexity in design marked by its sophisticated and rich details. It is representative of a style that was primarily diffused in eastern Anhui, northern Jiangsu (Xuzhou area) and western Shandong provinces, characterized by high quality workmanship, detailed carving, openwork patterns, and dragons as well as phoenixes as main motifs.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 18 March 2014, lot 149
Price: USD 62,000 or approx. EUR 76,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A fine and rare jade pendant, Huang, Eastern Zhou dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related double dragon heads and reticulated form. Note the different color and incision work.