Christie's. Important Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, New York, 13 September 2019
A rare greyish-white jade owl-form pendant, Late Shang-Early Western Zhou dynasty, 13th-10th century BC
Lot 812. A rare greyish-white jade owl-form pendant, Late Shang-Early Western Zhou dynasty, 13th-10th century BC; 1 5/8 in. (4.1 cm.) long. Estimate USD 8,000 - USD 12,000. Price realised USD 137,500. © Christie's Image Ltd 2019.
The thick pendant is carved as an owl with extended wings as if in flight and seen from above, the features delineated by thin grooved lines on both sides. The beak has a bull-nose perforation for suspension. The semi-translucent stone of greyish-white color has buff veining and traces of cinnabar in recessed areas.
Provenance: A. W. Bahr and E. H. Bahr Collection, 1963.
Arthur M. Sackler Collections.
Else Sackler.
Elizabeth A. Sackler.
Note: A comparable jade bird pendant dated Shang or Western Zhou, in the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, is illustrated by M. Loehr, Ancient Chinese Jades, Cambridge, 1975, p. 116, no. 130.