A RUSSET JADE ‘CHILONG AND PHOENIX’ ARCHER’S RING PENDANT, SHE, HAN DYNASTY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

China, 206 BC-220 AD. Superbly carved in openwork as an archer’s ring with a central aperture surrounded by a dragon and phoenix clambering over the sides, their furcated tails and other details as well as other details terminating in hooks and scrolls, the ring neatly incised with scroll designs, the semi-translucent stone of a pale tone with extensive russet shading ranging from pale brown to deep amber and patches of opaque ivory-colored calcification.

Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, traces of weathering, signs of prolonged burial, encrustations, small areas of calcification, minuscule nibbling to edges.

Weight: 22 g
Dimensions: Height 5.4 cm

Although purely ornamental, pendants like the present lot, which derived from archer's thumb rings, were still known as she or jue (the old term for the archer's ring during the Zhou dynasty) in the Han period, the two terms being essentially synonymous. For further discussion, see James C. Y. Watt, Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, New York, 1980, p.180. The pointed end and the central circular aperture follow the style of the preceding periods, and more decorative features were added to the oval pendant during the Han dynasty.

In the archaic jade collecting world, Warring States and Han Dynasty are often grouped together as Zhan-Han, which can be easily misconstrued to mean that the two periods are stylistically aligned. In fact, the two are drastically different both in terms of their aesthetics and craftsmanship. In the Warring States period (as the name may suggest), wars were frequently waged between kingdoms, and therefore masculine decorations that convey military might were often seen on objects, including jades. The Han Dynasty adopted Daoism in its inception, then Confucianism after the Wudi emperor. Bar the conflicts with Xiongnu, it is a peaceful civilized nation in essence, and the decorations on its objects are softer in tone with an emphasis on beauty, and the designs are more varied with a touch of romanticism. Therefore, in terms of style, Warring States and Two Han Dynasties jades should be viewed independently.

Literature comparison:
Compare two closely related jade archer’s ring plaques with chilong and phoenix, dated to Han dynasty, in the Palace Museum, Beijing. Two closely related archer’s rings, also in the Myers Collection, are published in Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, Two Americans in Paris. A Quest for Asian Art, Paris, 2016, p. 78-79, nos. 173 and 174.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 4 December 2024, lot 9447
Price: HKD 84,000 or approx. EUR 9,300 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade 'dragon and phoenix' 'archer's ring' pendant, Eastern Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and motifs. Note the related size (6.2 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2024, lot 447
Price: HKD 1,401,000 or approx. EUR 155,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A white jade 'chilong and phoenix' pendant, Western Han Dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and motifs. Note the related size (6.4 cm).