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A RARE ROCK CRYSTAL FIGURE OF A BEAR, WESTERN HAN DYNASTY
奥地利
2025年10月16日 开拍
拍品描述
China, 206 BC-8 AD. Exquisitely worked in the round as a crouching bear, the animal portrayed with an alert gaze above a well-pronounced snout, the head flanked by a pair of ears formed with S-shaped ridges extending along the beast's jaws and detailed with fine incisions repeated along the legs and tail simulating fur, the muscular body further skillfully rendered with a well-defined outline and depicted with curved claws and firm paws. The right-hind leg pierced with an aperture.Provenance: English trade, acquired from a private estate in Somerset, United Kingdom.Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, signs of burial and traces of weathering, natural fissures and inclusions, few small nicks, scattered light surface scratches, minuscule losses.Weight: 193.1 gDimensions: Length 9 cmCarved in the round, this amply-proportioned bear has large eyes, ears pulled back, a thick neck, and a hanging abdomen that almost touches the ground. Whether recumbent, standing, or strolling, it has a lovely pose of leisure and ease. The bear is depicted bending its body and stretching its neck, tilting its head slightly to the right. Its surface polished throughout, with a small number of short, finely incised lines depicting hair. Its realism is comparable to that of a white jade bear excavated from the ruins of the temple of the Weiling Mausoleum of Emperor Yuan of the Han Dynasty in Xianyang, Shaanxi. See Liu Yunhui, Shaanxi chutu Handai yuqi [Han dynasty jades excavated in Shaanxi], Beijing and Taipei, 2009, p. 272. Rock crystal is traditionally valued for its translucent quality as a symbol of purity, and is referred to as shuijing, literally meaning 'water essence'. The use of small, carved objects such as these was popular from the Western Han dynasty onwards, mainly serving a personal ornamental purpose of necklaces or bracelets. Bears were depicted in Chinese art at least as early as the Shang dynasty and have been a popular totemic emblem since ancient times. From the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) onwards, and probably even much earlier, bears have also been linked with military prowess, shamanism, and immortality. It might be noted that the words for 'bear' and 'virility' are exact homonyms, pronounced in Chinese as 'xiong'.Literature comparison:Compare a group of eight related rock crystal animal carvings, dated to the Han dynasty, 1.5 cm-2.3 cm wide, with Ben Janssens Oriental Art.Auction result comparison: Type: Closely relatedAuction: Christie's Los Angeles, 7 May 1999, lot 45Price: USD 23,000 or approx. EUR 38,500 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing: Two rare rock crystal bears, Western Han dynastyExpert remark: Compare the closely related material and subject. Note the smaller size (3.8 cm). Auction result comparison: Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2023, lot 3832Price: HKD 381,000 or approx. EUR 43,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing: A white jade bear, Western Han dynasty Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling and similar expression and incised fur. Note the smaller size (4.4 cm).

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拍品估价:1,500 - 3,000 欧元 起拍价格:1,500 欧元  买家佣金:

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