AN EXTREMELY RARE PAIR OF JADE ‘GEESE’ PENDANTS, SHANG DYNASTY
China, 15th-10th century BC. Each plaque is finely carved as a goose with its characteristic long neck, hooked beak, bifurcated tail feathers, and clawed feet. The large wings neatly incised with straight, curved, and scrolling lines. Partly translucent stone of a yellowish-white tone with large areas of creamy-white opaque calcification.


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. 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:
Very good condition with expected old wear, minuscule nibbling, minor weathering, remnants of soil and ancient pigment. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.

Weight: 6.7 g and 5.5 g
Dimensions: Length 3.2 cm and 3.4 cm

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


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade pendant depicting a similar bird, also dated to the Shang dynasty, 4.9 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 2022,3034.112. Compare a related jade pendant depicting a similar bird, also dated to the Shang dynasty, 3 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 1927,0518.1.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2017, lot 2726
Price: HKD 625,000 or approx.
EUR 91,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A celadon jade 'goose' pendant
Expert remark: Compare the related form, feathers, feet, and eyes. Note the size (7 cm) and that this lot only comprises a single goose.




商代一對罕見玉鵝佩飾

中國，公元前十五至十世紀。每一件佩飾都精細雕刻，鵝具有獨特的長頸、鉤嘴、分叉的尾羽，巨大的翅膀上有整齊地直線、曲線和弧線。玉料呈黃白色調，局部半透明，大面積的鈣化。

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。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：
狀況極好，有磨損、微小的磕損和風化、土壤和顔料殘餘。玉料具有天然紋理，其中一些可能已經發展成細小的裂紋。

重量：分別為6.7克與 5.5 克
尺寸：長 3.2 厘米與3.4 厘米

舊玻璃蓋盒。(3)


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的商代鳥形玉珮，長4.9 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，收藏編號2022,3034.112。比較一件相近的商代鳥形玉珮，長3 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，收藏編號 1927,0518.1。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2017年11月29日，lot 2726
價格：HKD 625,000（相當於今日
EUR 91,500
）
描述：青玉鵝佩飾
專家評論：比較相近的外形，包含羽毛、足和雙眼。請注意尺寸(7厘米) ，以及僅有一件。