Sold for €9,750
including Buyer's Premium
Expert’s note: At peace with itself and the world, the bear appears to be enjoying the moment and is wholly lacking the ferocity that typifies most Han-dynasty representations of bears, tigers, and other wild beasts, marking this as an astonishingly rare and naturalistic sculpture. The stone is calcified throughout, but a single patch of the original jade fades from a fine yellow tone through a deep orange into a remarkable cinnabar red, exemplifying the fact that jade can have almost any color.
Special care seems to have been given to this jade bear after its rediscovery. Not only has the stone been finely polished by a dedicated craftsman after it’s retrieval from the earth - extensive soil encrustations remain visible all over the exterior – but it was also repaired with a neatly lacquered replacement piece meticulously inserted to the lower jaw. This lacquer repair, likely Japanese in origin, interplays nicely with the red shades on the left hind leg of the bear. The conclusion of this author is that the present lot was probably found at some point around the 18th century, where it was treated as described above, and eventually brought to Japan, where the red lacquer repair has been carried out. From there it made its way to Europe, probably at some point in the earlier part of the 20th century. Also note that until 1945, the German Reich and the Japanese Empire were close allies, exchanging on many different levels of culture.
The small yet compelling sculpture represents a plump bear seated on its haunches in a moment of repose. The round eyes gazing forward and flanking the nose, the forehead with a central line below the attentively raised ears, the spine extending to the short, peach-form tail with very fine incised lines on either side, the haunches well rounded and extending to the muscular legs and clawed paws, with one tucked underneath. The opaque jade is of a deep yellow hue with orange, red and russet shades, covered almost entirely in ancient calcification.
Provenance: From a German private estate, by repute acquired by an unknown ancestor long time ago and in the family ever since.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, displaying exceptionally well. Signs of wear and weathering, losses, nicks, calcification and encrustation as a result of an extended period of burial. An ancient red lacquer ‘Kintsugi’ style repair to the lower jaw, most likely applied in Japan a long time ago. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. The calcification also covers most of the incision work, which becomes apparent from looking at the tail which is not completely calcified.
Weight: 212 g
Dimensions: Height 6.6 cm
Expert’s note: At peace with itself and the world, the bear appears to be enjoying the moment and is wholly lacking the ferocity that typifies most Han-dynasty representations of bears, tigers, and other wild beasts, marking this as an astonishingly rare and naturalistic sculpture. The stone is calcified throughout, but a single patch of the original jade fades from a fine yellow tone through a deep orange into a remarkable cinnabar red, exemplifying the fact that jade can have almost any color.
Special care seems to have been given to this jade bear after its rediscovery. Not only has the stone been finely polished by a dedicated craftsman after it’s retrieval from the earth - extensive soil encrustations remain visible all over the exterior – but it was also repaired with a neatly lacquered replacement piece meticulously inserted to the lower jaw. This lacquer repair, likely Japanese in origin, interplays nicely with the red shades on the left hind leg of the bear. The conclusion of this author is that the present lot was probably found at some point around the 18th century, where it was treated as described above, and eventually brought to Japan, where the red lacquer repair has been carried out. From there it made its way to Europe, probably at some point in the earlier part of the 20th century. Also note that until 1945, the German Reich and the Japanese Empire were close allies, exchanging on many different levels of culture.
The small yet compelling sculpture represents a plump bear seated on its haunches in a moment of repose. The round eyes gazing forward and flanking the nose, the forehead with a central line below the attentively raised ears, the spine extending to the short, peach-form tail with very fine incised lines on either side, the haunches well rounded and extending to the muscular legs and clawed paws, with one tucked underneath. The opaque jade is of a deep yellow hue with orange, red and russet shades, covered almost entirely in ancient calcification.
Provenance: From a German private estate, by repute acquired by an unknown ancestor long time ago and in the family ever since.
Condition: Good condition, commensurate with age, displaying exceptionally well. Signs of wear and weathering, losses, nicks, calcification and encrustation as a result of an extended period of burial. An ancient red lacquer ‘Kintsugi’ style repair to the lower jaw, most likely applied in Japan a long time ago. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. The calcification also covers most of the incision work, which becomes apparent from looking at the tail which is not completely calcified.
Weight: 212 g
Dimensions: Height 6.6 cm
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