Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價
China, c. 1200 BC. Exquisitely carved, depicted with the head facing forward, the figure rendered kneeling with the body upright and the hands resting on the knees, portrayed with large eyes, a broad nose, and full lips, flanked by ears subtly detailed in thread relief, the chest, back, arms, and thighs similarly decorated with scrolling motifs. The back of the head pierced with an aperture. Translucent stone of a fine yellow tone with russet patches and veins.
Provenance: From the collection of David Taylor, and thence by descent within the Taylor family. David Taylor (1876-1958) was a notable British businessman who lived in Belfast and owned various commercial buildings along with a substantial portfolio of stocks and shares. During his travels to China in the early 20th century, he acquired many jades, including the present lot. His grandfather, Sir David Taylor, was born in 1815 in Perth, Scotland, and moved to Belfast in 1842, serving as its mayor in 1867 and for two consecutive terms in 1883 and 1884.
Condition: Superb condition, commensurate with age. Ancient wear, signs of weathering and erosion, few tiny nibbles, natural fissures and inclusions, one side with russet-colored encrustations. Overall presenting exceptionally well, with distinctive signs of age and burial, further adding to its remarkable appearance.
Weight: 49.5 g
Dimensions: Height 4.6 cm
Kneeling figures of this type are among the rarest jade artifacts from the Shang dynasty. Examples carved with related features have been found at the tomb of Lady Hao, dated to around 1200 BC, suggesting that this piece was made at around the same time. While the identification and function of these kneeling figures is a matter of speculation, their rarity suggests that “they are likely to have been extremely valuable and to have offered Fu Hao some sort of power or access to power” (see Jessica Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China, London, 1996, page 108).
About a kneeling jade figure from the Tomb of Fu Hao, Ai Weiwei notes that “Some people believe this small carving represents Fu Hao herself, but I believe it’s more mythological than memorial in function — a ritual object related to a higher power” (see Ai Weiwei on a Shang Dynasty jade from the tomb of Fu Hao, published in 'It Speaks to Me: Art That Inspires Artists', 2019).
The Tomb of Fu Hao is an archaeological site at Yinxu, the ruins of the ancient Shang dynasty capital Yin, within the modern city of Anyang in Henan Province, China. Discovered in 1976 by Zheng Zhenxiang, it was identified as the final resting place of the queen and military general Fu Hao, who died about 1200 BC. She was likely to have been the Lady Hao inscribed on oracle bones by king Wu Ding as well as one of his many wives. The artifacts unearthed within the grave included 755 jade objects, among them besides contemporary Shang jades also Longshan, Liangzhu, Hongshan, and Shijiahe jades. It is to date the only Shang royal tomb found intact with its contents and excavated by archaeologists, never having been looted probably due its considerable distance from other known tombs.
Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related jade kneeling figure, dated late Shang, 13th century-1046 BC, 5.6 cm high, unearthed from the Tomb of Fu Hao at Xiaotun, Anyang, 1976, and now in the Henan Museum, illustrated 23 June 2023 on . Compare three closely related jade kneeling figures from the Tomb of Fu Hao, exhibited by the National Museum of China in Beijing. Five kneeling figures from the tomb of Fu Hao are illustrated in 'Tomb of Fu Hao at Yinxu in Anyang', Beijing, 1980, pls. 129 and 130, together with two related jade heads, pl. 131, nos. 1 and 2. Compare a related jade kneeling figure, 4.3 cm high, dated 12th-11th century BC, in the collection of the Harvard Art Museums, object number 1943.50.317, included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese Jades, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1975, cat. no. 121. Compare a related jade kneeling figure from the collection of Jay C. Leff at Sotheby’s New York, 25 October 1975, lot 98. Compare a seated figure with knees raised, illustrated in 'Teng Shu P’ing, One Hundred Jades from the Lantien Shanfang collection', Taipei, 1995, pl. 37, together with a jade head, pl. 36.
Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 2 April 2019, lot 3412
Price: HKD 1,000,000 or approx. EUR 122,500, converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An extremely rare white and russet jade ‘kneeling figure’, Shang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related modeling with similar pose, and manner of carving with similar thread-relief decorations, and pierced aperture to the back of the head. Note the different color of the jade as well as the smaller size (4 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2023, lot 639
Price: USD 91,440 or approx. EUR 81,500, converted at the time of writing
Description: An archaic jade bird, late Shang / Zhou dynasty
Expert remark: This archaic jade bird was, like the present lot, acquired by David Taylor in the early 20th century. Before it sold at Sotheby’s for $91,440, it was at an auction house in England, offered in a mixed lot of eight jade pendants dated “probably Qing dynasty” which sold for GBP 3,200. For a discussion on archaic jades and the current asymmetries in the market, see the foreword in the printed catalog for this auction. Note that like the present lot, this bird is similar in style to a jade from the tomb of Fu Hao. Note the smaller size and mottled color of the jade (3.4 cm).
Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2023, lot 641
Price: USD 76,200 or approx. EUR 68,000, converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An archaic jade owl, late Shang dynasty
Expert remark: This archaic jade owl was, like the present lot, acquired by David Taylor in the early 20th century. Before it sold at Sotheby’s for $76,200, it was at an auction house in England, offered in a mixed lot of eight jade pendants dated “probably Qing dynasty” which sold for GBP 3,200. For a discussion on archaic jades and the current asymmetries in the market, see the foreword in the printed catalog for this auction. Note the mottled color of the jade and the similar size (4.8 cm).
商代罕見黃玉人俑
中國，公元前約1200年。雕工精美，人俑頭朝前方平視，成跪姿，上身筆直，雙手擱膝，大眼、寬鼻、豐唇，兩側雙耳飾有細緻的螺紋浮雕，胸部、背部、手臂和大腿同樣飾有圖案。後腦勺穿孔。半透明玉石，呈細膩的黃色，帶有黃褐色斑紋。
來源：David Taylor收藏，一直保存在Taylor家族中。David Taylor (1876-1958) 曾是一位著名的英國商人，住在貝爾法斯特，擁有各種商業建築以及大量股票和股份。二十世紀初，他到中國旅行時購買了許多玉器，包括現在的這件。他的祖父戴維·泰勒爵士 1815 年出生於蘇格蘭Perth，1842 年移居Belfast，1867 年擔任市長，1883 年和 1884 年連任。
品相：狀態極佳，磨損，有風化和侵蝕的跡象、一些微小的磕痕、天然裂縫和內沁，一側有黃褐色的結殼。具有明顯的年代和埋葬痕跡。
重量：49.5 克
尺寸：高 4.6 厘米
這種跪像是商代玉器中十分罕見。公元前 1200 年左右的婦好墓中曾發現了有相似的玉人，説明本拍品大約也是來自同一時期。雖然這些跪著人物的身份和功能尚待研究，但它們為婦好提供了某種權力或獲得權力的途徑”（參見Jessica Rawson，《Mysteries of Ancient China》，倫敦，1996 年，第 108 頁）。
關於婦好墓中的跪姿玉人，艾未未指出，“有些人認為這個小造像代表了婦好本人，但我認為它在功能上更多的是神話性而非紀念性——一種與更高權力祭祀物品”（參見艾未未的論婦好墓中的商代玉器文章，發表於《It Speaks to Me: Art That Inspires Artists》，2019年）。
婦好墓位於殷墟的一處考古遺址，殷墟是中國商朝後期王都遺址，位於現代河南省安陽市內。它於 1976 年由鄭振香發現，被確定為皇后和將軍婦好的最後安息之地，婦好死於約公元前 1200 年。她很可能就是武丁王甲骨上所記載的好夫人，也是他眾多的妻子之一。墓內出土玉器755件，其中除當代商代玉器外，還有龍山玉、良渚玉、紅山玉、石家河玉等。 這是迄今為止唯一一座被考古學家發掘的內容完好的商代皇家陵墓，可能是因為它與其他已知陵墓相距甚遠，因此從未被盜過。
文獻比較:
比較一件非常相近的西元十三世紀至1046年商末玉跪人俑，高5.6 厘米，1976年出土於安陽小屯村婦好墓，現藏於河南博物館，見2023年6月23日www.alaintruong.com。比較三件非常相近的玉跪人俑出土於婦好墓，曾展覽於北京故宮博物院。五件出土於婦好墓的玉跪人俑，見《安陽殷墟婦好墓》，北京，1980年，圖129和130，和兩件相近的玉像，頁131，圖1和2。比較一件相近的西元前十二至十一世紀玉跪人俑，高4.3 厘米，收藏於哈佛藝術博物館，館藏編號1943.50.317，展覽於《古代中國玉器》，哈佛藝術博物館，劍橋，1975年，圖錄編號121。比較一件相近的玉跪人俑，來自 Jay C. Leff收藏，售於紐約蘇富比，1975年10月25，lot 98。比較一件玉跪坐人俑，見鄧淑蘋，《藍田山房藏玉百選》，台北，1995年，圖37，和一件相近的玉人頭，圖36。
拍賣結果比較:
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2019年4月2日，lot 3412
價格：HKD 1,000,000（相當於今日EUR 122,500）
描述：商玉跪人
專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢、雕刻方式、紋飾，後腦勺有穿孔。請注意不同的玉石顏色，以及尺寸較小 (4 厘米)。
拍賣結果比較:
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2023年3月22日，lot 639
價格：USD 91,440（相當於今日EUR 81,500）
描述：商末 / 周玉鳥
專家評論：與本拍品一樣，這件古老的玉鳥是David Taylor在 20 世紀初獲得的。曾在英國的拍賣行出售，和其他8 枚“可能是清代”的玉吊墜一起出售，售價為3,200 英鎊；售於蘇富比，售價91,440 美元。有關古代玉器和當前市場不對稱的討論，請參閱本次拍賣印刷圖錄的前言。請注意，與本拍品一樣，此鳥造型與婦好墓玉佩相似。 請注意玉石的尺寸較小和顏色斑駁(3.4 厘米)。
拍賣結果比較:
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2023年3月22日，lot 641
價格：USD 76,200（相當於今日EUR 68,000）
描述：商末玉鴞
專家評論：與本拍品一樣，這件古老的玉貓頭鷹是David Taylor在 20 世紀初獲得的。曾在英國的拍賣行出售，和其他8 枚“可能是清代”的玉吊墜一起出售，售價為3,200 英鎊；售於蘇富比，售價76,200美元。有關古代玉器和當前市場不對稱的討論，請參閱本次拍賣印刷圖錄的前言。請注意，與本拍品一樣，此鳥造型與婦好墓玉佩相似。 請注意玉石的顏色斑駁和相似的尺寸 (4.8 厘米)。
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Gallery Zacke takes care of shipping and quotes postage upon request. The purchased goods are transported at the risk of the customer following handover of the packaged item to the post office or another carrier which the customer agrees to through his/her submission of the purchase order. According to specific wish of the customer, the auctioned goods may be insured for the value of the purchase price (highest bid and surcharge). This insurance fee is 3% of the purchase price.
Terms of Auction
§ 1) The auction shall be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the rules of procedure of GALERIE ZACKE?, SZA VERSTEIGERUNGEN UND VERTRIEBS GMBH, MARIAHILFERSTRASSE 112, 1070 WIEN (hereinafter referred to as the company) as well as in accordance with sections 244-246 of the GEWERBEORDNUNG [Industrial Code] of 1994. The auction shall be carried out on commission. The auctioneer shall be entitled to withdraw lots exceptionally, to conduct the auction deviating from the order of the catalog numbers and to offer lots jointly. In the event of any dispute concerning a double bid or if the auctioneer has missed a bid, the auctioneer shall be entitled to revoke acceptance of a bid and to continue auctioning the item. The figures stated in the catalog shall be the highest bid in Euro (€) expected by the respective expert. As a rule, the bid shall be increased by 10% of the last bid. (See table of the bidding increments).
§ 2) The acceptance of a bid shall be granted to the highest bidder unless a hidden reserve has been agreed upon with the consignor of the item in question. Such a hidden reserve (also called limit or just reserve) shall be the minimum price under which the item will not be sold during the auction. This reserve will be disclosed upon request and after the auction only and may exceed the estimate. The auctioneer will in this case bid on behalf of the seller against all other bidders until the reserve has been reached. If a reserve is not reached during the auction, the auctioneer will knock down the item to the highest bidder at the final bid, but the sale will be conditional of the acceptance of this final bid by the seller. In this case the highest bidder shall be bound to his/her last bid for a term of 8 days starting with the day of the knockdown. If the winning bidder does not receive a written cancellation notice within this term of 8 days, the knockdown becomes unconditional and the sale is final. Typically, only a minority of all items in an auction have a hidden reserve.
§ 3) Most items shall be subject to differential taxation. A uniform surcharge of 22% plus the value added tax applicable to the surcharge to the amount of 20% shall be added to the achieved highest bid (final and highest bid). Thus, the surcharge shall be 26.4% of the final and highest bid in total. Items with added VAT are marked in the online catalog.
§ 4) In the event of sales abroad, the value added tax will be repaid if the item is sold to a country which is not a member country of the European Union (third country), the legal requirements are met, and the proof of exportation is provided. The value added tax shall not be shown separately on the invoice.
§ 5) The auction buyer must pay the purchase price immediately upon acceptance of the bid (final and highest bid plus 22% surcharge, plus the value added tax applicable to the surcharge to the amount of 20%, or the added VAT on top of the final price, when a lot is highlighted accordingly in the auction catalog). The company may grant an auction buyer a term of payment for the purchase price in whole or in part when this has been formally applied for in writing before the auction.
§ 6) In the event of a term of payment, or any payment delay, in whole or in part, the company shall be entitled to charge default interest (12% p.a.) as well as storage charges (2.4% pf the final and highest bid per month commenced) after 14 days upon acceptance of the bid. The item purchased at auction shall be handed over exclusively upon full payment of the purchase price including all costs and charges accrued since the acceptance of the bid.
§ 7) The buyer should take acquired items into possession, as far as possible, immediately or after the end of the auction. Items which have been fully paid for shall be handed over in our show rooms in GALERIE ZACKE, MARIAHILFERSTRASSE 112, 1070 VIENNA. If a deferred purchase price is not paid within the set period, the company shall be entitled to auction the item again in order to recoup its claim from the defaulting auction buyer. In this case, the defaulting auction buyer shall be liable to the company for the total loss of commission incurred by the company due to the re-auctioning as well as for any default interest and storage charges.
§ 8) The company shall be entitled to a lien on all items of the buyer irrespective of whether the buyer bought them within the scope of an auction or in free sale or the company secured ownership of these items otherwise. This lien shall serve to secure all current and future, qualified, limited and unmatured claims to which the company is entitled and which result from all legal transactions concluded with the buyer.
§ 9) The items received for auction will be exhibited and may be viewed prior to the auction. In doing so, the company shall give everyone the opportunity to check the nature and the condition of the exhibited items to the extent deemed possible within the scope of the exhibition. Every bidder shall be deemed to act on its own behalf unless it provides a written confirmation saying that it acts as a representative or agent of a well-known principal. The company may refuse bids; this shall particularly apply if a bidder who is unknown to the company or with whom the company has no business connections yet does not provide a security deposit before the auction. However, in principle there shall be no claim to accept a bid. If a bid has been refused, the previous bid shall remain effective.
§ 10) The company’s experts evaluate and describe the items received for auction and determine the starting prices unless otherwise stated in the catalog or expert opinion. The information concerning production technique or material, state of preservation, origin, design and age of an item is based on published or otherwise generally accessible (scientific) findings concluded by the company’s expert with the necessary care and accuracy. The company shall warrant to the buyer according to §34-38 of the AGB (Terms and Conditions) that properties are correct provided that any complaints referring to this are made within 45 days after the auction day. Subsequent complaints shall be excluded in principle. The company shall not be liable for any further information in the catalog and expert opinion as well. This shall also apply to illustrations in the catalog. The purpose of these illustrations is to guide the potential buyer during the preview. They shall not be authoritative for the condition or the characteristics of the pictured item. The published condition reports shall only mention defects and damage affecting the artistic or commercial value significantly. Complaints concerning the price shall be excluded upon acceptance of the bid. The company reserves the right to amend the catalog online prior to the auction. These amendments shall also be made public orally by the auctioneer during the auction. In this case, the company shall be liable for the amendment only. All items offered may be checked prior to the auction. These items are used. Any claims for damages exceeding the liability named above and resulting from other material defects or other defects of the item shall be excluded. When making the bid, the bidder confirms that he/she has inspected the item prior to the auction and has made sure that the item corresponds to the description.
§ 11) If a customer is not able to participate in an auction personally, the company shall accept purchase orders. These orders may be placed in writing via mail, e-mail, fax, www.zacke.at or a third party bidding platform. In the case of a purchase order placed by phone or orally, the company shall reserve the right to make the performance dependent on a confirmation from the principal communicated in writing. Furthermore, the company shall not be liable for the performance of purchase orders. Equal purchase orders or live bids will be considered in the order of their receipt. Bids which below the estimate shall be exhausted completely. Bids which do not correspond to the increments determined by the company (see bidding increment table) will be rounded up to the next higher increment. The table of these increments can be sent upon request. The written bid (purchase order) must include the item, the catalog number and the offered top bid limit which is quoted as the amount of the acceptance of the bid without buyer’s commission and without taxes. Ambiguities shall be carried by the bidder. A purchase order which has already been placed may only be cancelled if the written withdrawal is received by the company at least 72 hours prior to the beginning of the auction.
§ 12) The company may refuse a purchase order without explanation or make its execution dependent on payment of a security deposit. In the event of an unsuccessful order, such a deposit will be reimbursed by the company within 5 working days. Processing of purchase orders is free of charge.
§ 13) Every seller shall in principle be entitled to withdraw the items offered for auction until the start of the auction. Therefore, it is impossible to assume liability or to give warranty for the actual offering.
§ 14) Paid items must be collected within 30 days after payment. Items which have not been collected may be re-offered without further communication at the starting price from the recent auction reduced by 50%. Items which have not been collected within 30 days after the auction or for which the company does not receive any proper shipping instructions stating the type of shipping and the address of dispatch (independent of a possibly placed purchase order) shall be stored at the owner’s risk. Furthermore, the company shall be entitled to store items which have been purchased at auction and paid but not collected at the buyer ? risk and expense, including the costs for an insurance, with a forwarding agency. It shall be understood that the provision concerning the re-auctioning of unpaid and paid but not collected items must also apply to items not exhibited or stored on the premises of the company. The ownership shall be transferred to the buyer at the time of handing over the issuing note.
§ 15) In the case of mixed lots with a starting price of less than EUR 350.00, the company shall not warrant for the completeness or correctness of the individual items within a mixed lot.
§ 16) A registration for a bid by telephone for one or several items shall automatically represent a bid at the estimate price of these items. If the company cannot reach a bidder by telephone, it will bid on behalf of this bidder up to the estimate price when the respective lot is up for auction.
§ 17) Payments made to the company by mistake (through the payer ? fault) (e. g. due to miscalculation of the exchange rate by the payer) or payments made to the company for the same invoice several times shall be compensated in form of a credit note for goods for an indefinite period of time. The repayment of such payments in cash shall be excluded.
§ 18) Certain auction lots may exist several times (multiples). In such a case, the auctioneer may accept a second, third or even more bids from the underbidder(s). In this case, the text in the catalog and not the illustration shall be exclusively binding with regard to the warranty.
§ 19) The company reserves the right to assign to the buyer all rights and obligations resulting from the contractual relationship between the company and the seller by way of a respective declaration, as well as to assign to the seller all rights and obligations resulting from the contractual relationship between the company and the buyer by way of a respective declaration, in each case in terms of a complete assignment of contract with the result that the contractual relationship - following the submission of the aforementioned declarations by the company – shall exclusively be between the seller and the buyer, all of which is in accordance with the basic model of the commission agreement. Buyers and sellers shall already now give their explicit consent to this contract assignment.
§ 20) The place of performance of the contract brought about between the company on the one hand and the seller as well as the buyer on the other hand shall be the place of business of the company. The legal relationships and contracts existing between the company, the sellers and the buyers shall be subject to Austrian law. The company, the sellers and the buyers shall agree to settle all disputes resulting from, concerning and in connection with this contract before the territorially competent court of Vienna.
§ 21) The export of certain art objects from Austria shall require a permit from the Bundesdenkmalamt [Federal Monuments Office]. The company will orally provide information about art objects for which such export permit will probably not be granted at the beginning of the auction.
§ 22) Whenever making a bid, whether personally or via an agent, in writing, online, telephone, or in any other way, the bidder fully and unconditionally accepts the Terms of Auction, the ‘Important Information’ section in the auction catalog, the Terms and Conditions (AGB) of Galerie Zacke, §1-48, the Fee Tariff, and the Bidding Increments table, all as published on www.zacke.at on the day of the auction.
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