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Published & Exhibited: Alvin Lo Oriental Art Limited, Auspicious Jade Animals, New York, 2001, no. 1
China, 475-221 BC. The pendants carved in a mirror image with heads turned backwards and serpentine bodies terminating in curls, the heads, feet and some projections with more detailed realistic fur-like markings, and raised bands framing the neatly incised scrollwork. One dragon with raised comma spirals, the other with raised C-spirals, each pierced to the center top for suspension. Both pendants with original tool-cutting marks to the reverse. The semi-translucent stone is of a pale celadon color with spinach green inclusions and faint russet markings.
Condition: Very good condition with expected wear, signs of prolonged burial, one pendant with a tiny chip to one curl, and few tiny nibbles. The stone with natural fissures, some of which have developed into thin hairline cracks.
Provenance:
- Alvin Lo Oriental Art Limited, New York, 2001.
- Collection of Robert P. Youngman, acquired from the above and thence by descent.
- Bonhams New York, 15 March 2021, lot 15, sold for USD 56,562 or approx. EUR 61,000 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing).
- The private collection of Jules Speelman, London, acquired from the above.
The box with a photo of the jades and the inventory number ’01-10-001’.
Alvin Lo is a fourth-generation art collector and dealer specializing in Asian art, with particular expertise in Chinese jades and works of art. He is the fourth son of P. C. Lu, one of the most influential Hong Kong art dealers of the twentieth century. Raised in a family deeply rooted in the art world, Lo developed an early and discerning eye for quality and authenticity. In the 1990s, he founded Alvin Lo Oriental Art in Midtown Manhattan before returning to Hong Kong in the mid-2000s, where he continues his work. Over the past decades, he has published numerous scholarly catalogs and organized exhibitions internationally.
Robert P. Youngman (1940-2018) was an investment advisor, philanthropist, and a great enthusiast of Asian art. In 1976, he founded the investment management firm Granite State Corporation, now known as Griffin Asset Management. Youngman joined the Board of Trustees of Middlebury College in 1980 and served as Chairman of its Board for several years. Besides forming an impressive collection himself, he established endowed funds at his alma mater to support the acquisition and curation of Asian art, and authored two books, one on Chinese porcelain and the other on Chinese jades.
Jules Speelman is a world-leading dealer and collector of East Asian art with 60 years of experience. In 1964 he joined his late father, Alfred, in the family business which already stretched back three generations to 19th century Holland and expanded into England around the turn of the century. Originally, A & J Speelman dealt with antiques, from European ceramics, silver, tapestries, and furniture to Chinese porcelain, and works of art. With his father, Jules gradually shifted the focus towards Asia and under Jules Speelman's skilled direction, A & J Speelman is now considered amongst the foremost dealers in Asian antiques, with a particular emphasis on figurative sculpture and works of art from the past 2000 years.
Weight: 68.8 g and 69.3 g
Dimensions: Length 15.8 cm and 15.9 cm
With a padded storage box. (3)
Matching pendants of this quality are rare and would have been used by the ruling elite only. Dragon-shaped pendants with 'S'-shaped bodies and scrolling limbs were included in the range of jade pendants sets from tombs dating from the 6th to 5th centuries BC, becoming a key component in jade pendant sets from the 5th to 3rd centuries BC, before suddenly vanishing during the Han dynasty. Although a large number of pendants in this style were produced, the decoration varied greatly, ranging from incised cloud scrolls, rush-mat or hexagonal patterns in relief, and raised spiraling or grain-type bosses. The holes drilled at the top center enabled the pendant to be hung in perfect balance at the bottom of an assembled set of other components including beads, huang, and bi disc carvings.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related pair of jade dragon pendants, dated 4th-3rd century BC, 16.8 cm long, in the Art Institute Chicago, reference number 1950.640. Compare two closely related jade dragon pendants, dated mid-Warring States period, 9.8 cm and 9.2 cm long, in the National Palace Museum, reference numbers 購玉000361N000000000 and 購玉000360N000000000. Compare a related pair of dragon pendants, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, British Museum, London, 1995, p. 269–270, no. 17:9. A related pair of undecorated dragon pendants, dating to Warring States period, excavated from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng at Suizhou, Hubei province, 9.2 cm long, sharing a similar treatment with tool-cutting marks on the unworked surface, is illustrated in Gu Fang (ed.), The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, vol. 10, Hubei, Hunan, Beijing, 2005, p. 84.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 8 April 2023, lot 3825
Price: HKD 889,000 or approx. EUR 105,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A pair of calcified greyish-celadon jade 'dragon' pendants, Eastern Zhou dynasty, Warring States period
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, stone, motifs, and size (15 and 16 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2018, lot 2755
Price: HKD 875,000 or approx. EUR 112,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A celadon jade silhouette ‘dragon’ pendant and a celadon jade silhouette ‘phoenix’ pendant, Warring States period (475-221 BC)
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, stone, and motifs with similar raised spirals and fur markings. Note the size (11 cm).
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