China, c. 8th-16th century. The figure rendered kneeling with the hands resting on the knees, the face looking directly ahead, portrayed with straight brows, large eyes above a broad nose, flat lips, flanked by ears in the form of C-scrolls. The translucent stone of a pale gray tone with darker gray and white inclusions, and dark specks.

Provenance: From the collection of David Taylor, and thence by descent within the Taylor family. David Taylor (1876-1958) was a notable British businessman who lived in Belfast and owned various commercial buildings along with a substantial portfolio of stocks and shares. During his travels to China in the early 20th century, he acquired many jades, including the present lot. His grandfather, Sir David Taylor, was born in 1815 in Perth, Scotland, and moved to Belfast in 1842, serving as its mayor in 1867 and for two consecutive terms in 1883 and 1884.
Condition: Very good condition with extensive old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, and microscopic nicks here and there. The stone with natural fissures and inclusions. The flat head is pierced with two apertures for suspension, which may be of a later date than the figure.

Weight: 39.6 g
Dimensions: Height 4.2 cm

Expert's note (added 20.2.2023): Compare to a related group of figures excavated at Anyang from the Shang Dynasty and currently on exhibit in the National Museum of China in Beijing (see image section). Note that the present lot shares the related apertures for suspension on the head with an example from the museum. We must note the iconography of the present lot as a kneeling female, which echoes the character for "woman" that was used on both oracle bones and ritual bronzes during the Shang dynasty. A possible earlier date is further substantiated by the shapes of the eyes and the ears, which also have counterparts in Shang oracle script. Reference: Chêng Tê-K’un. “Some Standing Jade Figurines of the Shang-Chou Period.” Artibus Asiae, vol. 28, no. 1, 1966, pp. 39–52. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/3249315. Accessed 14 Feb. 2023.

The earliest kneeling figures carved from jade date back to the Shang dynasty and are extremely rare. Examples carved with related features have been found at the tomb of Lady Hao, dated to around 1200 BC. While the identification and function of kneeling figures is a matter of speculation, their rarity suggests that “they are likely to have been extremely valuable and to have offered Fu Hao some sort of power or access to power.” (Jessica Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China, London, 1996, p. 108).

Literature comparison:
Five kneeling figures from the tomb of Fu Hao are illustrated in Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, pls. 129 and 130, together with two related jade heads, pl. 131, no. 1 and 2. Compare a related figure in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, and included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese Jades, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1975, cat. no. 121. Compare a jade kneeling figure from the collection of Jay C. Leff, sold in Sotheby’s New York, 25 October 1975, lot 98. Compare a seated figure with knees raised, illustrated in Teng Shu P’ing, One Hundred Jades from the Lantien Shanfang collection, Taipei, 1995, pl. 37, together with a jade head, pl. 36.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1674
Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 19,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare greyish-green and brown jade figure of a kneeling foreigner, Tang/Ming dynasty, 7th-16th century
Expert remark: Compare the related figural motif, the color of the jade, and the flattened head with pierced suspension apertures. Note the size (6 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 April 2019, lot 3412
Price: HKD 1,000,000 or approx. EUR 125,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An extremely rare white and russet jade ‘kneeling figure’, Shang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related figural motif, pose, and size (4 cm). Note the different color of the stone and the much earlier dating.



唐至明代玉人形佩
中國，約八至十六世紀。人物呈跪姿，雙手擱膝，眼睛正視前方，直眉，大眼，寬鼻，平唇，兩耳呈C字形。淺灰色調的半透明石料，帶有較深的灰色和白色絮狀物，以及黑色斑點。

來源：David Taylor收藏，自此一直保存在Taylor家族中。David Taylor (1876-1958) 曾是一位著名的英國商人，住在貝爾法斯特，擁有各種商業建築以及大量股票和股份。二十世紀初，他到中國旅行時購買了許多玉器，包括現在的這件。 他的祖父戴維·泰勒爵士 1815 年出生於蘇格蘭Perth，1842 年移居Belfast，1867 年擔任市長，1883 年和 1884 年連任。
品相：狀況極好，大面積磨損、風化和侵蝕，以及很多可見的微小刻痕。具有天然裂隙和内沁的石料。頭上有兩個掛孔，可能來自稍晚年代。

重量：39.6 克
尺寸：高4.2 厘米

最早的玉雕跪像可追溯到商代，極為罕見。在婦好墓中也發現了幾件例子，年代為公元前1200年。雖然跪像的身份和功能是一個推測，但它們的稀有性表明“它們可能非常有價值，並為婦好提供了某種權力或獲得權力的途徑。” (見Jessica Rawson，《Mysteries of Ancient China》，倫敦，1996年，第 108頁)。

文獻比較：
五件來自婦好墓的玉雕跪像，見《安陽殷墟婦好墓》，北京，1980年，頁129 和 130，連同兩個相近的玉頭，頁131，編號1 和 2。比較一件相近的玉像，收藏於哈佛藝術博物館，以及展覽於《Ancient Chinese Jades》，哈佛藝術博物館，劍橋，1975年，圖錄編號121。比較一件玉雕跪像來自Jay C. Leff收藏，售於紐約蘇富比，1975年10月25日，lot 98。比較一件玉雕坐姿抱膝像，見Teng Shu P’ing，《One Hundred Jades from the Lantien Shanfang collection》，臺北，1995年，圖37，連同一件玉頭，圖36。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2013年9月20日，lot 1674
價格：USD 16,250（相當於今日EUR 19,000）
描述：唐/明褐青玉跪人
專家評論：比較相近的人物主題、玉石顏色，以及帶有穿孔懸掛孔的扁平頭。請注意尺寸(6 厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2019年4月2日，lot 3412
價格：HKD 1,000,000（相當於今日EUR 125,000）
描述：商玉跪人
專家評論：比較相近的人物主題、姿勢和尺寸(4 厘米)。請注意不同的玉石顏色和年代早很多。