A JADE ‘RABBIT’ PENDANT, LATE SHANG TO WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
China, 1100-1000 BC. Well carved in a dynamic position with the legs bent underneath, the mouth open, the ears swept backward, and short tail slightly upswept. Pierced through the neck for suspension. The translucent stone of a pale celadon tone with black veins and patches. Note the neatly incised and distinct double-line grooves typical for the late Shang to Western Zhou period.


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:
Excellent condition with some old wear, expected signs of weathering and erosion, minimal nibbling, losses, encrustations. Remnants of ancient pigment.

Weight: 18.5 g
Dimensions: Length 6.1 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade rabbit with similar double-line grooves, dated to the Shang dynasty, circa 1200-1050 BC, 4 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 1973,0726.117. Compare a related jade rabbit, dated 11th-10th century BC, 3 cm long, in the Harvard Art Museums, object number 1943.50.305, illustrated in Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber, 'Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum', Cambridge, 1975, p. 246. cat. no. 365.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 817
Price: USD 52,500 or approx.
EUR

58,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A dark green jade rabbit-form pendant, late Shang - early Western Zhou dynasty, 11th-10th century
Expert remark: Compare the related flat form, pose, and open mouth. Note the smaller size (4.2 cm) and the lack of detailed incisions.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Remotely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2023, lot 643
Price: USD 25,400 or approx.
EUR 23,500
converted at the time of writing
Description: An archaic jade 'mythical beast' pendant (Xi), Western Zhou dynasty or later
Expert note: Compare the similar double-line grooves typical for the late Shang to Western Zhou dynasty.




商末至西周玉兔佩飾

中國，公元前1100-1000年。雕刻生動，兔腿彎曲在身下，嘴巴微張，耳朵向後，短尾巴略微上翹。兔頸下方有一個小孔用於懸掛。青色玉料半透明，帶有黑色紋理和斑塊。請注意商代晚期至西周時期典型的整齊且清晰的雙線刻槽。


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：
狀況極佳，有一些磨損，有風化、侵蝕跡象，細微磕損、缺損、結殼和顏料殘餘。

重量：18.5 克
尺寸：長 6.1 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件商代約公元前 1200-1050 年相似的雙線刻槽的相關玉兔，長 4 厘米，現藏於大英博物館，登記編號 1973,0726.117。 比較一件相近的公元前 11 至 10 世紀玉兔，長 3 厘米，收藏於哈佛藝術博物館，藏品編號 1943.50.305，見 Max Loehr 和 Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber，《Grenville L. Winthrop Collection 中的中國古代玉器》，劍橋，1975 年，頁 246，圖錄編號365。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2019年9月13日，lot 817
價格：USD 52,500（相當於今日
EUR

58,000
）
描述：商晚期/西周早期青玉兔形珮
專家評論：比較相近扁平的外形、姿勢和微張的嘴。請注意尺寸較小(4.2厘米)，但缺少細節雕刻。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：稍微相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2023年3月22日，lot 643
價格：USD 25,400（相當於今日
EUR 23,500
）
描述：西周或更晚玉瑞獸觽
專家評論：比較相似的商代晚期和西周時期經典的雙線刻槽雕刻。