A SMALL WHITE AND RUSSET JADE BIRD Tang DynastyA SMALL WHITE AND RUSSET JADE BIRDTang DynastySkilfully carved as a small bird with claws tucked under the body and wings furled towards the outspread fan-tail, the slightly flattened head held up to reveal teardrop ears, vertically pierced for suspension, the white stone graduating to a deep russet splash edge with vivid red. 3.5cm (1 3/8in) long.唐 玉鳥Provenance: James W. and Marilynn Alsdorf collection, ChicagoSotheby's London, 7 June 2000, lot 53A distinguished English private collection來源：美國芝加哥，阿爾斯多夫伉儷舊藏倫敦蘇富比，2000年6月7日，拍品編號53英國顯赫私人收藏James (1914-1990) and Marilynn Alsdorf (1925-2019) were important philanthropists and collectors of Asian art. The couple married in 1952 and travelled around the world buying art. James Alsdorf was an investor and business executive who served on US advisory committees under presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. The couple were patrons of the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the University of Chicago's Smart Museum of Art. Their generosity funded the Art Institute's Alsdorf Galleries for Indian, Himalayan, and Southeast Asian Art, which opened in 2009.Compare with a jade bird-head ornament, Tang dynasty, illustrated by J.Rawson and J.Ayers, Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, London, 1975, p.79, no.235.