11th Sep, 2025 11:00
The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers Part 1
46
A VERY RARE JADE AND BRONZE HARNESS ELEMENT, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY, WARRING STATES PERIOD
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve
Sold for €6,500
including Buyer's Premium
Published: Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, Two Americans in Paris. A Quest for Asian Art, Paris, 2016, p. 75, no. 165.
Exhibited:
1. Pointe-à-Callière Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Montréal, 17 November 2016-19 March 2017.
2. Kimbell Art Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Fort Worth, Texas, 4 March-19 August 2018.
China, 4th-3rd century BC. The tubular bronze body, resembling a small bamboo stalk with a thick band at its center, decorated at both ends with bold jade collars, finely incised with scrollwork and carved in openwork to depict stylized dragons, whose slender bodies and bifurcated tails coil gracefully around the tube.
Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Good condition with ancient wear, traces of weathering, signs of burial, encrustations overall. The jades with natural fissures, microscopic nibbling, one chilong with a minor old repair to the tip of its tail, and natural surface alterations. The bronze with few minute nicks, small surface scratches, and a rich, naturally grown patina with deep malachite encrustations.
Weight: 82.2 g
Dimensions: Length 12.2 cm
This tubular harness element was part of the luxurious equestrian equipment used by the aristocracy of the time, designed to both embellish and reinforce the straps of the saddle, as well as to secure the bridle, yoke, or pectoral decorations of the horse. Its dual longitudinal perforations allowed cords or leather strips to pass through the tube, distributing tension and ensuring the proper fitting of the assembly.
Beyond its practical function, the use of jade in such elements reflects the high status of its owner, as these equestrian ornaments served as visible symbols of prestige and power. These accessories were employed in both everyday and ceremonial contexts, integrating the horse, an essential animal for warfare and transportation, into the visual language of authority characteristic of Eastern Zhou nobility.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 2764
Price: HKD 819,000 or approx. EUR 94,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare set of jade and bronze ‘chilong’ chariot fittings
Expert remark: Compare the related function, tubular form, and chilong subject. Note the size (15.7 cm) and slightly later dating.
Published: Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, Two Americans in Paris. A Quest for Asian Art, Paris, 2016, p. 75, no. 165.
Exhibited:
1. Pointe-à-Callière Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Montréal, 17 November 2016-19 March 2017.
2. Kimbell Art Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Fort Worth, Texas, 4 March-19 August 2018.
China, 4th-3rd century BC. The tubular bronze body, resembling a small bamboo stalk with a thick band at its center, decorated at both ends with bold jade collars, finely incised with scrollwork and carved in openwork to depict stylized dragons, whose slender bodies and bifurcated tails coil gracefully around the tube.
Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Good condition with ancient wear, traces of weathering, signs of burial, encrustations overall. The jades with natural fissures, microscopic nibbling, one chilong with a minor old repair to the tip of its tail, and natural surface alterations. The bronze with few minute nicks, small surface scratches, and a rich, naturally grown patina with deep malachite encrustations.
Weight: 82.2 g
Dimensions: Length 12.2 cm
This tubular harness element was part of the luxurious equestrian equipment used by the aristocracy of the time, designed to both embellish and reinforce the straps of the saddle, as well as to secure the bridle, yoke, or pectoral decorations of the horse. Its dual longitudinal perforations allowed cords or leather strips to pass through the tube, distributing tension and ensuring the proper fitting of the assembly.
Beyond its practical function, the use of jade in such elements reflects the high status of its owner, as these equestrian ornaments served as visible symbols of prestige and power. These accessories were employed in both everyday and ceremonial contexts, integrating the horse, an essential animal for warfare and transportation, into the visual language of authority characteristic of Eastern Zhou nobility.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 2764
Price: HKD 819,000 or approx. EUR 94,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare set of jade and bronze ‘chilong’ chariot fittings
Expert remark: Compare the related function, tubular form, and chilong subject. Note the size (15.7 cm) and slightly later dating.
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