A GREEN JADE ‘FISH’ PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
China, 11th-10th century BC. Flattened plaque finely carved in the form of a fish with an elegantly curved tail and long snout, finely incised with round eyes as well as gills and fins. Slightly translucent stone of a dark green hue with cloudy yellow inclusions, russet patches, and gray calcification.


Provenance:
Collection of Robert and Isabelle de Strycker, and thence by descent in the same family. Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) was a French engineer who specialized in metallurgy. He was a Stanford graduate, a professor at the University of Leuven, a director of the Institute of Metallurgy at the Université Catholique de Louvain, and one of the most influential members of the faculty of applied sciences. After World War II, he made large contributions to France’s post-war recovery. Robert and his wife Isabelle (1915-2010) first encountered Chinese art at the British Museum during a stay in London in the 1930s. Enamored with the style and beauty, they both decided to study and collect Chinese works of art. In 1938, they eventually began to build their collection, buying from Belgian, Parisian, and English dealers. They kept close contact with the famous English collector Sir Harry Garner (1891-1977) and noted Czech collector and expert Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976).

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear, losses, signs of weathering and erosion, scratches, chips, encrustations. Remnants of an aperture for suspension near the mouth.

Weight: 11.4 g
Dimensions: Length 12.3 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade fish, 12 cm long, dated to the Western Zhou dynasty, in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, accession number 50.46.361. Compare a related fish pendant, 11 cm long, dated c. 1100-950 BC, in the Victoria and Albert Museum, accession number FE.141-1974.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 November 2020, lot 2271
Price: HKD 60,000 or approx.
EUR 7,400
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A greenish-white, jade fish-form pendant, Western Zhou dynasty
Expert remark: Note the much smaller size (9.5 cm).




商末至西周魚形玉佩

中國，西元前十一至十世紀。玉魚成平直狀，吻部斜伸向前下方、分尾斜向後下方，以陰刻線飾眼、尾、鱗片。略帶半透明的青色石料，帶有黃色內沁、黃褐色斑紋和灰色鈣化物。


來源：
Robert與Isabelle de Strycker收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Robert de Strycker (1903-1968) 是一位法國冶金工程師。他畢業於史丹佛大學，曾是魯汶大學教授，同時也是魯汶天主教大學冶金研究所所長，是應用科學學院最有影響力的成員之一。二戰後，他為法國的戰後復興做出了巨大貢獻。 Robert與他的妻子Isabelle （1915-2010）於 上世紀三十年代在大英博物館首次接觸到中國藝術。因爲其風格和美感所吸引，他們決定研究和收藏中國藝術品。1938 年，他們開始建立自己的收藏，從比利時、巴黎和英國經銷商處購買。 他們與英國著名收藏家Harry Garner爵士（1891-1977）和捷克著名收藏家兼專家Fritz Low-Beer (1906-1976）保持著密切聯繫。

品相：
狀態良好，大面積磨損、缺損、風化和侵蝕跡象、劃痕、磕損、結殼。嘴部附近有一個用於懸掛的孔。

重量：11.4 克
尺寸：長 12.3 釐米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的西周魚形玉佩，長12 釐米，收藏於明尼亞波利斯藝術博物館，館藏編號50.46. 361。比較一件相近的約西元前1100-950年 魚形玉佩，長11 厘米，收藏於維多利亞和亞伯特博物館，館藏編號FE.141-1974。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2020年11月30日，lot 2271
價格：HKD 60,000（相當於今日
EUR 7,400
）
描述：西周青白玉魚形珮
專家評論：請注意尺寸較小(9.5 厘米)。