A YELLOW JADE ‘FISH’ PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
China, 11th-9th century BC. Of slender rectangular form with a single aperture in the mouth. The mouth and tail flattened with carved gills and fins. Translucent stone of a yellow hue with shades of green, brown patches, icy and cloudy inclusions, and areas of opaque 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, nicks, calcification, minor nibbling.

Weight: 8 g
Dimensions: Length 10.3 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade fish silhouette, 8 cm long, dated 11th-10th century BC, in the Harvard Art Museum, object number 1943.50.409.A.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 818
Price: USD 12,500 or approx.
EUR 14,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A greyish-green, jade fish-form pendant, Western Zhou Dynasty, 10th-9th century BC
Expert remark: Note the slightly larger size (12 cm), the losses to the fins, and the additional detail to the carving.




西周魚形玉佩

中國，西元前十一至九世紀。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。略帶半透明的黃色石料，帶有青色斑紋和絮狀物，白色鈣化區域。


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，有缺損、風化、侵蝕、刻痕、鈣化和輕微的磕損。

重量：8 克
尺寸：長 10.3 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的約西元前十一至十世紀魚形玉佩，長8 厘米，收藏於哈佛藝術博物館，館藏編號1943.50.409.A。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年9月13日，lot 818
價格：USD 12,500（相當於今日
EUR 14,000
）
描述：A greyish-green jade fish-form pendant，Western Zhou Dynasty，10th-9th century BC
專家評論：請注意尺寸較大 (12 厘米)，鰭的部分缺損，雕刻精細。