A PALE CELADON JADE 'HORSE' CARVING, 18TH - 19TH CENTURY China. Carved in a recumbent pose, the head resting on the outstretched front legs, the finely incised mane falling neatly down the neck, tail and hind legs swept under the body, the hooves clearly defined. A rectangular aperture carved through the body, perhaps for usage as a hilt on a ceremonial dagger or sword. The finely polished, translucent stone of a pale celadon tone with cloudy white inclusions.

Provenance: From the personal collection of Susan Chen, Hong Kong, and thence by descent in the family. Susan Chen (d. 2014) was a prominent Hong Kong collector and dealer during the 1980s and 1990s. A long-time member and supporter of the Oriental Ceramics Society, she created the Sze Yuan Tang and Feng Wentang Collections together with her husband Anthony Hardy. Her collections consisted of a wide range of objects, from modern paintings and calligraphies to bronzes, ancient ceramics, and jades, which the couple collected for more than 30 years. In 2016, Bonhams sold parts of the jade collection, which at the time was hailed as the most successful sale of the last decade in this category, reaching a total of HKD 178,000,000.
Condition: Excellent condition with some old wear. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into microscopic hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 66.1 g
Dimensions: Length 8.3 cm

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby's New York, 20 March 2019, lot 595
Price: USD 6,250 or approx. EUR 7,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A celadon jade carving of a horse, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose, the finely incised mane, the color of the jade, as well as the related size (9.2 cm)


十八至十九世紀青白玉雕臥馬
中國。圓雕成臥馬，頭靠在伸出的前腿上，鬃毛整齊地垂在脖子上，尾巴和後腿置於身側，細節精美。一個長方形的開口穿過馬身，可能用作祭祀匕首或劍的柄。半透明青玉帶有白色絮狀物。

來源：香港陳淑貞私人收藏，保存在同一家族。陳淑貞，英文名Susan Chen (2014年去世)，曾是香港上世紀八十至九十年代著名的收藏家、古董商，曾是東方陶瓷學會會員，創辦了奉文堂。而其先生Anthony Hardy則是思源堂的主人。她一生的私人珍藏極具特色，收藏領域廣泛，從近現代書畫到青銅器、高古陶瓷、高古玉、明清玉器等，涉及門類多且品味不凡。 2016年邦翰思曾對她的部分玉器藏品進行拍賣，創出HKD 178,000,000的總成交額。
品相：狀況極好，有一些磨損。具有天然內沁和裂縫的玉料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些可能已經發展成微小的裂縫。

重量：66.1 克
尺寸：長 8.3 厘米

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年3月20日，lot 595
價格：USD 6,250（相當於今日EUR 7,000）
描述：清十八至十九世紀青玉雕臥馬擺件
專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢、精雕細琢的鬃毛、玉石的顏色，以及相近的尺寸 (9.2 厘米)。