China, 13th-14th century. Of oval form, intricately carved in layered relief and openwork to depict a long-tailed bird looking back while perched on a leafy prunus branch, the leaves with finely incised veins and serrated edges, the feathers similarly apparent, all within a plain rounded border. The translucent stone of a pale celadon tone with cloudy inclusions and very few dark specks.

Provenance: S. Marchant & Son, London, 2003. Dr. Kenneth P. Lawley, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from S. Marchant & Son, London, dated 12 November 2003, confirming the dating above, and stating a purchase price of GBP 3,600 or approx. EUR 8,800 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. The base with an old label from Marchant inscribed ‘Yuan-E/Ming’. Marchant & Son was founded in 1925 by Samuel Sydney Marchant (1897-1975). It held a large stock of Asian art, but also dealt in arms and armor, paintings, and continental porcelain. In 1953, Richard Marchant joined his father and from that time onwards the partnership specialized in Asian art. Nowadays the company’s focus is on Imperial Chinese Ming and Qing porcelains, jades, cloisonné, pottery, and works of art. Dr. Kenneth P. Lawley (1937-2023) was a chemical physicist in The School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. His collection started in the early 1960s, and for the first twenty-five years of his collecting career Dr. Lawley made the majority of his purchases from the Davies Street gallery of Bluett and Sons. Working within a fairly small budget – Lawley had a small private income as well as his emoluments from the University of Edinburgh – he often sold pieces back to the firm to finance more expensive purchases.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few nicks to the oval base and extremities. One leaf tip with a minute touchup.

Weight: 110 g
Dimensions: Length 10 cm

Both the form and the openwork are characteristic of a large category of ornaments made during the Song, Jin, and Yuan periods. Very often the heads of the birds are wound among the tendrils of flowers. One of the major attractions of the subject matter was its potential as a means of displaying virtuosity in carving three-dimensional openwork. Indeed, jade is suited to the form, as its strength ensures that it does not fracture across slender branches and sprays. In gold or silver, which were also used for similar ornaments, these thin shapes were liable to be bent in use. In later periods these effects were widely exploited in a large category of openwork belt ornaments.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related jade plaque with a long-tailed bird among prunus, dated to the Song or Jin dynasty, 12^th-13^th century, in the collection of the British Museum, registration number 2022,3034.214, and illustrated by Jessica Rowson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, no. 25:13, p. 337. Compare a related jade plaque, dated to the late Song or Yuan dynasty, illustrated by Angus Forsyth and Brian McElney, Jades from China, no. 245, p. 329.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 17 September 2013, lot 92
Price: USD 35,000 or approx. EUR 42,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A reticulated pale celadon jade oval plaque, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, subject, manner of carving, and intricate incision work with similar long-tailed bird, serrated leaves, and prunus blossom.