12th Sep, 2025 11:00
Three Single Owner Collections of Asian Art
48
A GLAZED POTTERY WHISTLE IN THE FORM OF A MONKEY’S HEAD, FIVE DYNASTIES PERIOD
Sold for €390
including Buyer's Premium
China, Zhejiang province, 907–960. Finely molded as a round monkey’s head with wide, alert eyes, a broad smile, raised eyebrows, a short snout, and large ears. A fine beaded border encircles the rim. The front is covered with a pale gray glaze, while the backside remains unglazed. With a blowing aperture at the top and a finger aperture under each cheek.
Provenance: Dong Yu Artesanato, Macao, 1998. Collection of Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above. A Dutch art historian and collector, Dr. Koos de Jong has worked across several cultural institutions in the Netherlands from 1976, serving as the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch between 1999-2009, before retiring in 2009. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the modern era. His scholarly interests expanded to Chinese material culture, culminating in the 2013 publication of Dragon & Horse: Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond, a pioneering study on Chinese equestrian gear. Continuing this line of inquiry, his more recent book published in 2021, Small China: Early Chinese Miniatures, explores the largely overlooked world of Chinese miniature objects, combining archaeological research with art historical insight.
Condition: With some wear and firing irregularities, and a tiny shallow chip to the right ear. Broken into two parts and reattached, with minor associated losses along the break line. Presenting well.
Weight: 80 g
Dimensions: Height 5.8 cm
The present lot is a variation from the clay or ceramic whistle known as a xun, which is among the oldest musical instruments in China. The xun was initially made of baked clay or bone in an egg-shaped form, usually containing three finger holes in front and two thumb holes in the back.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related whistle in the form of a demon head, Northern Song dynasty, 5.8 cm high, in the Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of Asian Art, accession number F1916.599.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 14 April 2024, lot 1077
Price: HKD 139.700 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A yellow-glazed 'foreigner' whistle, Northern Qi dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related shape. Note the larger size (12.5 cm).
China, Zhejiang province, 907–960. Finely molded as a round monkey’s head with wide, alert eyes, a broad smile, raised eyebrows, a short snout, and large ears. A fine beaded border encircles the rim. The front is covered with a pale gray glaze, while the backside remains unglazed. With a blowing aperture at the top and a finger aperture under each cheek.
Provenance: Dong Yu Artesanato, Macao, 1998. Collection of Dr. Koos de Jong, acquired from the above. A Dutch art historian and collector, Dr. Koos de Jong has worked across several cultural institutions in the Netherlands from 1976, serving as the director of the European Ceramic Work Center in Den Bosch between 1999-2009, before retiring in 2009. He has authored hundreds of articles and several books on Dutch fine and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the modern era. His scholarly interests expanded to Chinese material culture, culminating in the 2013 publication of Dragon & Horse: Saddle Rugs and Other Horse Tack from China and Beyond, a pioneering study on Chinese equestrian gear. Continuing this line of inquiry, his more recent book published in 2021, Small China: Early Chinese Miniatures, explores the largely overlooked world of Chinese miniature objects, combining archaeological research with art historical insight.
Condition: With some wear and firing irregularities, and a tiny shallow chip to the right ear. Broken into two parts and reattached, with minor associated losses along the break line. Presenting well.
Weight: 80 g
Dimensions: Height 5.8 cm
The present lot is a variation from the clay or ceramic whistle known as a xun, which is among the oldest musical instruments in China. The xun was initially made of baked clay or bone in an egg-shaped form, usually containing three finger holes in front and two thumb holes in the back.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related whistle in the form of a demon head, Northern Song dynasty, 5.8 cm high, in the Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of Asian Art, accession number F1916.599.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 14 April 2024, lot 1077
Price: HKD 139.700 or approx. EUR 15,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A yellow-glazed 'foreigner' whistle, Northern Qi dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related shape. Note the larger size (12.5 cm).
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