Jade. China, Han Dynasty, 2nd - 1st century BC 玉人- 漢代,公元前2世紀-前1世紀 Tiny figurines like the present one, carved in the shape of a bearded, standing man, represent one of the most curious and, as yet, little understood categories of archaic Chinese jades. Despite the large number of them in public and private collections, their function, origin and even dating remain mostly conjectural. They are usually dated to the Han period but the archaeological evidence is still very limited. The bearded man is represented standing, wearing a typical Han robe with long sleeves that cover the hands. The form is geometrical, with a triangular-shaped head, a main oval form representing the long robe, and a slightly tapered, truncated base representing the feet. The eyes and mouth are rendered with three tiny incisions and the head is covered with a headdress. A horizontal suspension hole has been drilled through the central back area of the figurine: a second hole is drilled vertically and runs from the top of the head to the median perforation. The highly polished jade is pale green with darker diffused areas and a few russet and dark brown patches at the bottom. Amongst the many similar jades that can be quoted for comparisons, see the three in the Harvard Art Museums (accession numbers 1943.50.150, 332, 333) published in M. Loehr and L.G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge 1975, nos.550 and 551. Compare also one from the Sam and Myrna Myers collection illustrated in F. Salviati, The Language of Adornment, Paris 2002 no.59. Provenance: From an old Austrian collection LENGTH 5.5 CM - WIDTH 1.4 CM 長5.5 厘米 -寬 1.4 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.