A RARE PALE GREENISH-WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ‘BIRD’ PENDANT, LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 13TH-11TH CENTURY BC
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

Published: 
1. Myrna Myers (ed.) & Filippo Salviati (auth.), The Language of Adornment. Chinese Ornaments of Jade, Crystal, Amber and Glass, Paris, 2002, no. 10.
2. Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, Two Americans in Paris. A Quest for Asian Art, Paris, 2016, p. 52, no. 102.

Exhibited: 
1. Pointe-à-Callière Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Montréal, 17th November 2016-19th March 2017.
2. Kimbell Art Museum, From the Lands of Asia. The Sam and Myrna Myers Collection, Fort Worth, Texas, 4th March-19th August 2018.

China. Finely carved as a crested bird shown in profile, richly incised on both sides with double-line grooves delineating features including the circular eyes and folded wings, the animal further detailed with a hooked beak and long curved tail. Pierced at the top with a small aperture for suspension. The translucent stone of a pale greenish-white tone with pale russet shadings and patches of opaque creamy-white calcification.

Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, signs of prolonged burial, traces of weathering, encrustations, remnants of ancient cinnabar pigment, areas of calcification, few tiny nicks, two minute chips.

Weight: 18 g
Dimensions: Height 6.5 cm

Ornaments of this form are typical of the period of Fu Hao and several have been excavated from her tomb, illustrated for example in Yinxu Yuqi (The Jades from Yinxu), Beijing, 1982, pls. 44, 47, 50, and 58. Two with relatively small crests resemble the present bird quite closely. However, even more interesting are birds with large crests from Fu Hao’s tomb. These crests are exactly like those on pendants in the form of kneeling humanoid figures found in the same tomb. Indeed, the birds seem to be a Shang variation of the human figures which were probably “foreign” in the sense that the motif was imported from outside the Shang area. See also Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, 1995, p. 218.

The Tomb of Fu Hao is an important archaeological site located at Yinxu, the ruins of the ancient Shang dynasty capital Yin, within modern-day Anyang in Henan Province, China. Discovered in 1976 by archaeologist Zheng Zhenxiang, the tomb was identified as the final resting place of Queen and military general Fu Hao, who died around 1200 BC. Fu Hao is believed to be the Lady Hao mentioned in oracle bone inscriptions by King Wu Ding and one of his many wives. The tomb contained an extraordinary array of artifacts, including 755 jade objects, which encompassed both contemporary Shang jades and older pieces from the Longshan, Liangzhu, Hongshan, and Shijiahe cultures. Notably, the Tomb of Fu Hao is the only Shang royal tomb discovered intact, with its contents undisturbed, likely due to its remote location, far from other known burial sites. This pristine condition has provided invaluable insights into Shang dynasty culture and the significance of jade in their ritual practices.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related jade bird-form pendant or terminal fitting, 7 cm high, dated 15th-10th century BC, in the British Museum, registration number 2022,3034.109. Compare a closely related jade bird-form pendant unearthed from the tomb of Fu Hao and exhibited in the Beijing Capital Museum.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 18 March 2009, lot 263
Price: USD 56,250 or approx. EUR 73,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare pale greenish-white jade bird-form finial/insignia, Shang dynasty, Anyang phase, circa 1200 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and stone. Note the size (7.7 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 9 October 2023, lot 3712
Price: HKD 736,600 or approx. EUR 83,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A celadon and russet jade 'bird' pendant, Shang dynasty 
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and manner of carving. Note the size (4.8 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2020, lot 2718
Price: HKD 1,250,000 or approx. EUR 147,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A dark green jade parrot-form pendant, Shang dynasty, c. 1600-1046 BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and size (6.8 cm).