A PALE YELLOW JADE 'TIGER' PENDANT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTY
China, 1046-771 BC. Of elongated flattened form, the arc-shaped pendant worked in the form of a crouching tiger with legs tucked beneath the body and a furcated tail that curls upwards, pierced at the snout and tail. The translucent stone of a pale yellow tone with hues of pale celadon, cloudy inclusions and areas of white calcification.


Provenance
: From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. E.3.21A-H. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. It was no doubt fortuitous that Dr. Wou’s years of collecting coincided with an abundant availability of exceptional Chinese art on the London market. From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s he was able to form a collection of well over 1,000 works that together represented virtually every category of Chinese art. At the heart of Dr. Wou’s drive to collect was a burning desire to preserve the relics of China’s rich historical past scattered across Europe, and to promote Chinese art and culture. It is unclear when Dr. Wou conceived the idea to create a place to house his collection, but in 1968, he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years the museum became a ‘must see’ destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China’s glorious history.

Condition
: Old wear, some weathering, soil encrustations, surface alterations and traces of use, all as expected. Minor nibbling. The jade had broken into three pieces and was reassembled, with associated small losses.

Weight: 18.7 g
Dimensions: Length 9.9 cm


Expert's note (added 20.2.2023):
Bi disks of the Neolithic period lost their attraction to early Western Zhou dynasty nobility, leading to the repurposing of the circular bi into curved pendants that could be reworked by Western and Eastern Zhou craftsmen into attractive new forms. Such curved pendants, often in the form of birds or tigers, are frequently found amongst the artifacts from the tombs of Zhou period royalty (see image section). See Qian Yang's thesis: The Circulation of Jades in Early China (Late Neolithic – Eastern Zhou, ca. 4500 -221 B.C.).


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade pendant depicting a tiger, 7 cm, dated late Shang to Western Zhou dynasty, in the British Museum, museum number 1945,1017.118.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 April 2019, lot 3435
Price: HKD 93,750 or approx.
EUR 12,000,
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A jade 'tiger' pendant, Western Zhou dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related motif, form, and pierced ends.




西周青玉虎形佩

中國，公元前1046-771年。此虎形佩呈扁平狀，兩面通體飾虎紋，虎張口，尾上卷，作爬行狀。虎口和尾各有一小孔可供穿系佩帶。青黃色半透明玉料，局部有沁蝕黑斑和白色鈣化區域。


來源：
吳權博士收藏；吳蓮伯美術館，館藏編號 E.3.21A-H。吳權(1910-1997)博士 曾是一位中國外交家以及知名中國藝術收藏家。他的父親吳蓮伯 (1873-1944)先生曾是二十世紀初中國重要政治人物，因在民國動蕩歲月中擔任國會議員及議長而聞名。1952 年，吳博士在外交領域走上了輝煌之路，直到他退休後定居倫敦，並將餘生奉獻給了對中國藝術的研究。毫無疑問，吳權博士多年的收藏，與大量中國藝術珍品現身倫敦藝術市場上時間點相呼應，這無疑是幸運的。從 1950 年代中期到 1960 年代後期，他收集了 1,000 多件藏品，涵蓋了中國藝術的每一個門類。吳博士之所以收藏，其原因主要是爲保護散落歐洲各地的中國文物與推廣中國藝術與文化。尚不清楚吳博士何時想到創建一個美術館來歸置他的收藏的，但在 1968 年，他打開了以他父親的名字命名的 吳蓮伯美術館的大門。多年來，美術館已成為收藏家、學者和來訪政要的必經之地，而吳博士總是很樂意給參觀者介紹美術館，講述中國光輝歷史的故事。

品相：
磨損、一些風化、土壤結殼和使用痕跡，磕損。玉被打碎成三塊，重新組裝起來。

重量：18.7 克
尺寸：長 9.9 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的商末至西周虎形玉珮件，7 厘米，收藏於大英博物館 ，館藏編號1945,1017.118。


拍賣結果比較：


形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2019年4月2日，lot 3435
價格：HKD 93,750（相當於今日
EUR 12,000
）
描述：西周玉虎形飾
專家評論：比較相近的主題、外形和虎尾有小孔。