Description: Jade. China, Han Dynasty, 2nd - 1st century BC 長方形鏤空象紋玉飾 - 漢代, 公元前2世紀-前1世紀
This decorative openwork plaque depicts an elephant framed within a rectangular border that is entirely covered with a dense pattern of alternating triangles filled with incised parallel lines. The half-crouching elephant appears as if it were captured in motion, with its hind limbs raised and the front ones still adhering to ground, almost as if the animal were imprisoned within the frame. The head is turned back and the tip of the trunk is curled: the long curls that extend from the back and the mane-like protuberance descending from the head are features that allude to the otherworldly nature of the animal. The features of the elephant are carved in light relief and some the details of the body, like the tail and the folds in the skin, are highlighted through tiny incised lines: the eyes are rendered with dew-drop shaped incisions and the tips of the well-defined claws dig into the frame.
A great part of the celadon coloured jade is still beautiful and translucent but the heavily calcification and alterations have rendered these areas opaque, especially on one side of the object. Numerous brown, black and rust coloured encrustations can also be seen in the carvings and on parts of the animal’s body.
Ornamental jade plaques of the Han period, like the present one, were derived from similar items in metal, mostly belt plaques, that were common amongst the
nomadic people of the north: compare three similar plaques in openwork decorated with different animals published in F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, nos.304-306.
Provenance: From an old Austrian collection
LENGTH 7.8 CM - WIDTH 5.5 CM 長 7.8 厘米 -寬5.5 厘米
Expertise: Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati
All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and dated by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.