A PAIR OF C-SHAPED ‘DRAGON’ PENDANTS, ERLITOU PERIOD TO SHANG DYNASTY
China, c. 1900-1050 BC. Both figures with curled bodies and upturned noses, flat with a straight slit for a mouth and a small aperture for an eye. Both consist of thin, translucent celadon jade with dark, cloudy inclusions around the head and a magnificent ancient polish.


Provenance:
Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964), acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. The cover of the presentation box is inscribed ‘Joe. C. 1500 BC – 89 AD (Know too long a period).’ Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate, as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war, substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley’s death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot.

Condition:
Good condition with expected wear around the edges, as well as light weathering and erosion. Light scratches and light calcification.

Weight: 4.6 g and 4.7 g
Dimensions: 3.9 cm and 3.9 cm

With an old presentation box and glass cover. (3)


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade notched pendant in the form of a dragon, dated Erlitou period to Shang dynasty, c. 1900-1050 BC, in the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, accession number EA1956.1591.




二里頭至商代一對C形龍玉佩

中國，西元前約1900-1050 年。造型奇特，龍首如馬臉，軀身似勾月，長嘴、圓眼、頭後弧圓，雕琢簡練。薄薄的半透明青玉，頭部周圍有深色絮狀物，拋光良好。


來源：
Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939)收藏，他逝世後由其遺孀Irene Beasley保存；Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964)，約於1939年購於上述收藏，之後在同一家族保存至今。蓋盒上可見 ‘Joe. C. 1500 BC – 89 AD (Know too long a period).’ 字樣。Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) 是一位英國人類學家和博物館館長，他在二十世紀初建立了一個重要的民族志收藏，現在收藏在英國的各個博物館中。Beasley和他的妻子Irene一起建立了Cranmore民族志博物館，該博物館最終收藏了 6,000 多件民族志方面的物品。Beasley 收集了來自歐洲各地的物品，從拍賣行和當地博物館購買以擴大收藏範圍，其中包含來自太平洋、亞洲、非洲和美國西北部的資料。Beasley為人類學期刊撰寫了大量文章，被公認爲是該領域的專家。他於 1939 年去世，他的藏品幸虧在戰爭期間被存放在大英博物館裏，而Cranmore博物館被轟炸摧毀。戰後，大部分藏品被轉移到大英博物館、愛丁堡皇家博物館、劍橋大學考古與人類學博物館、Pitt Rivers博物館和Merseyside County博物館。其他收藏，例如現在的拍品，由他的遺孀出售，在她 1974 年去世後，由他們的女兒出售。Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) 曾是Cranmore 民族志博物館重要支持人，也曾是 Harry Beasley的好友。在Harry Beasley去世不久，他從Irene Beasley 處購買了一些收藏，包括此件拍品。

品相：
狀況良好，邊緣有磨損，輕微的風化和侵蝕跡象，輕微劃痕。

重量：分別為4.6 克與 4.7克
尺寸：分別為3.9 釐米與3.9釐米

玻璃蓋盒 (3)


文獻比較：

比較一件 相近的約公元前1900至1050年二里頭至商代龍形玉佩，收藏於牛津阿須摩林博物館，收藏編號 EA1956.1591。