A PAIR OF GILT AND INCISED ROCK CRYSTAL ‘GEESE’ VESSELS, LIAO DYNASTY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

China, 10th-11th century. Each finely carved in the form of a goose preening itself, the body with a long sinuous neck forming a loop for the gilt-metal chain and stopper which is fitted neatly into a small circular aperture revealing the hollowed interior, the head and wings boldly incised and embellished with gilt. (2)

Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Good condition with expected wear, traces of use, natural imperfections including fissures, one shallow chip, few minuscule nicks, losses to gilt.

Weight: 804.6 g (total)
Dimensions: Length 10.4 cm and 12.2 cm

Swans had special significance for the Liao, thus it is not surprising to see them carved in precious materials such as rock crystal and jade. Swan hunting was one of the principal seasonal activities of the Liao. At the beginning of spring, when the grasslands turned green marking renewal, swans like other migratory birds returned to the lands inhabited by the Liao. During the ‘nabo’ ceremony, predatory birds were released to hunt the swans. The most desirable prey was the leader of the flock, which was presented by the emperor as a sacrifice to his ancestors or to Heaven.

Rock crystal was a favorite medium of Liao dynasty carvers for making small animal-form pendants and handling pieces. An excavation of a Liao site at Jiwangyingzi, Guanjiayingzi, Kalaquin Banner, Inner Mongolia, for example, revealed small rock crystal carvings of a fish, rodent, and lion, carved with similar sensitivity to the present examples, and included in the exhibition Gilded Splendor: Treasures of China's Liao Empire (960-1125), Asia Society, New York, 2006, pp. 288-289, cat. no. 79a-c.

Literature comparison:
Similar carvings were also made in amber. Consider a pair of a geese in the same posture as the present rock crystal geese, and also mounted with gold chain and a small cover, unearthed in 1986 from the tomb of Princess of Chen (died in the seven year of Kaitai, corresponding to 1018) at Naiman Banner, Inner Mongolia, included in the special exhibition organized by the Shanghai Museum, Treasures on Grassland: Archaeological Finds from the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Shanghai, 2000, p. 217.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 November 2024, lot 514
Estimate: HKD 120,000 or approx. EUR 13,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A pair of rock crystal ‘goose’ holders with gold covers, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving and golden decoration. Note the smaller size (7 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams New York, 18 September 2023, lot 92
Price: USD 10,880 or approx. EUR 9,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A group of four rock crystal carvings of geese and ducks, Liao dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving and golden decoration of the geese. Note the smaller size (8 cm) and that the lot further comprises a pair of rock crystal ducks.