Jade. China, Late Shang dynasty, 13th - 11th century BC 玉鳥 - 商代晚期, 公元前13世紀-前11世紀 This finial in smooth, polished white jade is carved as a standing bird in profile with a long, thin body. A short tenon, pierced with a hole, extends from the bottom, suggesting that this small threedimensional carving was meant to stand as a miniature icon when inserted into some type of support. The features of the bird are sketched but clearly outlined. A groove has been carved on top of the head to define the rather squared-off crest: the tip of the short beak points downwards and the eyes are rendered with incised circles. The details of the carving are highlighted by slightly raised bands that decorate the long, straight neck, the border of the crest and the contour of the wings that are folded on the body. The white jade is crossed by darker veins and areas of brown and amber and there are some encrustations along the carved lines and near the base. There are various sections where the originally translucent jade has turned opaque, most noticeably near the bottom of one side and across the neck on the other. This bird is virtually identical to one discovered in the late Shang period tomb of Fu Hao, at Anyang, Henan province (c.1250 BC), which measures 9.3 cm in height: it is published in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Yinxu yuqi 殷墟玉器 (Jades from Yinxu), Wenwu Chubanshe, Beijing 1981, no. 49 (centre). See also Gu Fang, Zhongguo gu yuqi tu dian 中國古玉器圖典 (The pictorial handbook of ancient Chinese jades), Beijing 2007, p.164. Provenance: From an old Austrian collection HEIGHT 10.6 CM - WIDTH 2 CM 高 10.6 厘米 - 寬 2 厘米 Expertise: Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and dated by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.