Christie's. Important Chinese Art. London, 3 November 2020.
Jade from a Princely Collection sold at Christie's London, 3 November 2020
The late Baroness Irene von Oertzen (1908-2007) and her husband Baron Klaus-Detlof von Oertzen (1894 - 1991), were passionate collectors of Chinese art, and together they amassed a remarkable collection of great scope and quality, particularly with regards to Chinese jade carvings. The Baroness could not only speak and write Chinese fluently, she also had a profound understanding of the Chinese culture, having lived and worked there for seven years. The Baron is descended from one of the oldest families of North Germany and was a world-renowned industrialist involved in the motor industry for most of his long life. The couple settled in South Africa after the Second World War, and he is sometimes referred to as the "Father of Volkswagen of South Africa".
In 1932 Baron von Oertzen, who had been in charge of sales at the motor manufacturer Wanderer, became sales director and chairman of the board of directors of Auto Union - the amalgamation of Wanderer and three other German manufacturers, namely Audi, DKW and Horch, under the pressures of the depressed German economy. The new company's four-ringed emblem, which von Oertzen suggested, can still be seen in the modern Audi logo.
The Baron and Baroness travelled in 1938 via India to Australia, where they stayed for two years, setting up a factory to manufacture the DKW saloon. Before the outbreak of war the car was selling at the rate of 2000 a year in Australia and New Zealand. As the war clouds gathered business was declining, and the couple arrived in Batavia (modern day Jakarta) of the Dutch East Indies. In May 1940 Hitler invaded Holland, and the Baron and Baroness were interned separately in prison camps by the Dutch authorities. He was later transferred to India as the Japanese approached Singapore, while she was transferred to China. The Baroness managed to get a job working for the Canadian Consulate General in China, and during her years in China she began her studies in Chinese culture and language. It was during this period that her passion for Chinese art developed. The Baroness had a special fondness for jade carvings, and the von Oertzen collection includes a distinguished group of archaic jade pieces.
The Baroness through her contacts in the consulate managed to transfer her husband to China, and was finally reunited with him after six years of separation. Just as the Baron established himself in Shanghai as a second-hand car dealer, the civil war broke out between the Communists and the Nationalists and the couple found themselves once again embroiled in war. They eventually had to leave and returned to South Africa in 1948. In 1951 Volkswagen in Germany appointed Baron von Oertzen as their representative in South Africa. He was instrumental in the early stages of negotiations to bring Volkswagen to South Africa, and was present at the historic signing in 1951 of the agreement between SAMAD and Volkswagenwerk to assemble Volkswagens in Uitenhage. When Volkswagenwerk took over a controlling interest in SAMAD in 1956, he became the chairman of the company, which eventually changed its name to Volkeswagen of South Afirca.
The Baroness in her later years divided her time between Johannesburg and Switzerland. She was a guest of honour at the opening of the AutoPavilion in 2004, where a Jagdwagen Kombi, the second Kombi ever to arrive in South Africa, belonging to Baron von Oertzen, is on display.
Lot 1. A very rare jade halberd blade with turquoise-inlaid bronze shaft, Ge, Late Shang dynasty, Anyang, 12th-11th century BC; 9 1/8 in. (23.2 cm.) long. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 25,000. Price realised GBP 212,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The jade blade is well polished to each side with four facets and drilled from one side with a fastening hole. The bronze shaft is cast to each side with a stylised ram's head inlaid with turquoise. The stone is of a greyish-green tone with opaque-white alteration showing markings of straw matt wrapping.
Provenance: The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 117.
Property From a Princely Collection.
Literature: S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p. 42, no. A38.
Lot 2. A fine greyish-green jade halberd blade, Ge, Late Shang dynasty, circa 1200 B.C.; 11 3/8 in. (28.9cm.) long. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000. Price realised GBP 287,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The jade is carved with a ridge to the centre extending the lenght of the blade. Each side is finely polished with four facets and the plain area is pierced with two holes. The handle is well carved with three parallel double-ribs and a single rib, all extending from two parallel-lines to the notched edge. The stone is of greyish-green tone with darker and lighter striations.
Provenance: The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 119.
Property From a Princely Collection.
Literature: S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p. 45, no. A42.
Lot 3. A greyish-green jade ceremonial blade, Dao, Neolithic Period, Qijia Culture, circa 2050-1700 B.C.; 14 5/8 in. (37.1cm.) long. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 25,000. Price realised GBP 100,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The thin blade is polished with a sharp, straight knife-edge and a gently curved edge to the top. The flaring sides and the top are drilled from one side with four fastening holes. The stone is of mottled greyish-green colour with areas of russet and brown inclusions.
Provenance: The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 118.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p.42. no. A35.
Lot 4. A fine greyish-green jade axe, Qi, Late Shang-Early Western Zhou Dynasty, circa 1000 B.C.; 4 in. (10.2cm.) long. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000. Price realised GBP 56,250. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The axe is of square form at the top, flaring out slightly at the sides and gently curved to the cutting edge. The long sides are notched with small flanges. The top section is drilled with two holes from one side. The stone is of greenish-grey colour with areas of opaque budd alteration showing fabric impression.
Provenance: The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 116.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p. 49, no. A46.
Lot 5. A yellow jade scabbard chape, a scabbard guard and a scabbard slide, Late Eastern Zhou-Han Dynasty, 4th century BC - 1st century A.D.; The slide: 3 ¾ in. (9.3cm.) long. Estimate GBP 15,000 - GBP 20,000. Price realised GBP 25,000. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The chape is well carved to each side with angular scrolls and drilled to one end for attachement to the bottom of the scabbard, the stone is of a greyish-yellow tone with areas of alteration. The guard is carved to one side with a taotie mask and angular scrolls to the other side, the jade is of a yellow tone with areas of russet. The rectangular-shaped slide with curved ends is carved with a taotie mask below angular scrolls, the stone is of a greenish-brown tone with feather-like russet markings.
Provenance: The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 121.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p.84, no. B44; p.88, no. B51 and p.96, no. C6.
Lot 6. A very rare and fine white and ruset jade 'dragon' pendant, Xi, probably Jincun, Henan province, Warring States period (475-221 B.C.); 4 3/8 in. (11.1cm.) long. Estimate GBP 60,000 - GBP 80,000. Price realised GBP 212,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The pendant is carved and pierced in the shape of a horned dragon with arched body, stretched back legs and long tapering tail. The surface is finely polished and drilled from one side at the back of the eye for suspension. The stone is of a semi-translucent white tone with small areas of black and russet inclussions.
Provenance: The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 127.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p.83, no. B39.
Note: The shape and polish of this ornament is closely related to an excavated example, now in the Palace Museum, Beijing, excavated from the 4th-3rd century B.C. tombs at Jincun, near present day Luoyang, which are thought to have been the buriel tombs of the Zhou Royal family. The present xi may also be stylistically compared with the dragon and phoenix-shaped ornament from the Warring States period, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, Adorning the Kings, a Private Collection of Archaic Jade Ornaments, 31 May 2017, lot 2726.
Lot 7. An exceptionally rare and important yellow jade belt hook, daigou, Western Han dynasty, 3rd- 2nd century BC; 3 5/8 in. x 2 ½ in. x 0 5/8 in. (9.2 x 6.4 x 1.6 cm.). Estimate GBP 600,000 - GBP 800,000. Price realised GBP 2,902,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The large, shield-shaped belt hook is finely carved and pierced in the shape of a single-horned mythical beast, its body with cloud-shaped scrolls and a single-horned beast in high-relief to the centre. The reverse of the finial is incised with a long-tailed stylised bird and the circular stud with a swirling pattern. The jade is of translucent yellow colour with areas of russet, zitan stand.
Provenance: Collection of J D Chen (Chen Rentao 1906-1968), Shanghai and Hong Kong.
The Collection of Baron and Baroness von Oertzen, Johannesburg, South Africa, acquired prior to 1969.
Christie's London, 4 November 2008, lot 128.
Property from a Princely Collection.
Literature: J.D. Chen, Essays on Chinese Antiquities - The First Album of King-Kwei's Collection with Explanations, Hong Kong, 1952, p. 92, no. 3.
S. Howard Hansford, Jade: Essence of Hills and Streams, Johannesburg, 1969, p. 86, no. B47.
“Weary not of new belts, despise not old belt hooks” Huananzi: Taizuxun 11
A belt hook formerly in the Baron and Baroness von Oertzen Collection offered in the current sale deserves special attention, not just because it is shaped from a translucent, pale yellowish jade with a warm unctuous polish. More importantly, it is worked from a single, large slab of jade originally about 10 x 7 x 2 cm thick, an extraordinary extravagant use of very precious material even today. Its design of studied rhythmically symmetrical openwork curls and hooks mesmerizes, as does its lustrous polish created by light dancing across the subtly molded surfaces. Surrounded by the abstract curls is a single crested animal-mask at the center of the shield-shaped body, as plump angular C-curls occupy the neck, lead toward the hook that is rendered as a sculptured animal head with horns sweeping back to form a loop. Fine incised linear curls adorn the flat underside: on the neck, a long-tailed bird, its head bent back with yogic dexterity, and on the button in the middle, an interlocking whorl pattern. Finally, that this belt hook has survived in virtually perfect condition for more than two thousand years testifies to its timeless appeal.
In ancient China, belt hooks were an everyday, purely functional accessory designed to hold two ends of a leather or fabric belt together, keeping the tunic or robe tightly wrapped around the waist. The button on the underside passes through a hole at one end of the belt, while the hook attaches to a slit or opening at the opposite end of the belt. Created during the 6th century BCE, belt hooks were mostly modest club-shapes made of bronze, bone, or even wood. Elite members of society might have worn belt hooks made of gilt bronze, or bronze with gold-, silver-, turquoise- or malachite-inlays. Far rarer are solid gold belt hooks, understandably small due to the high value of gold; jade insets often fill additional spaces in larger gold hooks. The latter are exceptional and rare items closely associated with rulers and nobility as symbols of status and authority, perhaps even of divine intervention. A well-known historical narrative credits a belt hook with saving the life of a young prince by shielding him from an assassin’s arrow. This prince lived to become Duke Huan of Qi (died 643 BCE), one of Five Hegemons of the Eastern Zhou period.
Substantial, club- or shield-shaped belt hooks worked from a single slab of jade, like the von Oertzen example, are the rarest. Among the over two hundred jade artifacts recovered from the tomb of the King of Nanyue (datable before 122 BCE) in Guangzhou (or Canton, excavated 1983), there were just four large jade belt hooks, only two of which were worked from a single piece of jade. Similar ratios pertain among many jaderich burials throughout the last centuries BCE. Surveys and studies of belt hooks published in the recent half century reveal that unusually large belt hooks made with valuable materials were both exceptional and unique creations. No two are alike. Each was a singular product conceived by a master craftsman based on available material on hand and the ornamental vocabulary of the time. No wonder that the observant Western Han prince Liu An (179–122 BCE) noted at court: “Among those seated, the hooks worn on each belt are all different …” (Huainanzi: Shuolinxun 13)
To date, only one example is known to approximate the von Oertzen belt hook in material, shape, size, and design. It is a jade belt hook from the 3rd century BCE tomb of a nobleman in Shandong Qufu, ancient capital of the Lu State. Excavated in 1978, this belt hook is worked from a slightly smaller, but also a single slab of translucent pale yellowish jade. It shares the von Oertzen’s decorative scheme —a sculptural animal head as hook, a crested animal mask in low relief on a shield-shaped body, plump angular C-curls on the neck, and a whorl design on the button. But it lacks the lilting openwork configurations that distinguish the von Oertzen belt hook.
The abstract openwork curls and sculptural animal motifs on the von Oertzen belt hook were both part of a common ornamental vocabulary in jade design during the late 3rd and early 2nd centuries BCE. The best parallels in abstract openwork curls adorn pendant ornaments from elite late 3rd century BCE tombs at Yanggong village (excavated 1977) in Changfeng, Anhui province, at Shangwang village (excavated 1993) in Linzi, Shandong province, and from the early 2nd century BCE tomb at Shizishan in Xuzhou, Jiangsu province, excavated 1994. A pair of jade combs in the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, acquired in the early twentieth century with a purported Luoyang provenance like the von Oertzen belt hook, also display similar openwork curled configurations.
From the same early 2nd century BCE tomb at Shizishan came large jade drinking vessels — an oval cup (erbei), a cylindrical tankard (zhi), and stemmed goblet — shaped from a similar high-quality pale yellowish jade. Such jade vessels are prime symbols of excesses in jade consumption accessible only to ruling princes at the time. The low-relief animal mask and elegant birds rendered in fine incised lines on the von Oertzen belt hook also adorn a pair of oval cups in the Harvard Art Museums, also worked from a pale yellowish jade of similar quality. The von Oertzen belt hook’s close associations with this group of exceptional artifacts suggest that it, too, was likely made for individuals of unusual stature, a prince, or even ruler during the late 3rd or early 2nd century BCE.
In the six decades since the von Oertzen belt hook was first published in 1952, belt hooks of this quality in material, size, design, and workmanship remain rare. To date, nothing else comparable has emerged from even the most recent excavations of 2nd and 1st century BCE imperial mausoleums—at Dayunshan (excavated 2009 to 2012, at Youyu, Jiangsu province), which yielded more than ten belt hooks in jade, gold, silver, even rock crystal; or at Nanchang, Jiangxi province (excavated 2011 to 2016), that yielded over 500 jade artifacts. None has been published from major collections in western and Asian institutions. As a status symbol made from a highly valued material with profound meanings and symbolism throughout Chinese history, the von Oertzen jade belt hook is truly an unparalleled masterpiece for all time.
Lot 8. Four jade pendants, huang, Late Shang-Zhou dynasty, 11th-4th century B.C.; The largest: 4 ¾ in. (12cm.) long. Estimate GBP 12,000 - GBP 18,000. Price realised GBP 112,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The first huang is carved to one side as a horned dragon with notched edges and the stone is of an opaque tan colour. The second pendant is carved to both sides with addorsed dragons and pierced to both ends, the stone is of a greyish-green tone. The third huang is carved to each side with comma scrolls and the stone is of a pale greenish-white tone with areas of opaque buff alteration. The fourth pendant is carved to each side of one end with a dragon head followed by a body decorated with abstract scrolls, the stone is of a greyish-green tone.
Provenance: First: Alfred F. Pillsbury Collection, Minneapolis.
Frank Caro, New York, 1964.
Second and third: J.T. Tai & Co., New York, prior to 1966.
Fourth: Frank Caro, New York, 1964.
Christie's New York, Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, 18 March 2009, lot 304.
Exhibited: The second huang: Columbia University, February 1965.
Lot 9. A rare dark grey-green jade bead, Late Shang dynasty, circa 1200 B.C.; 1 ¼ in. (3.3cm.) wide. Estimate GBP 20,000 - GBP 30,000. Price realised GBP 137,500. © Christie's Images Ltd 2020.
The thick-walled bead is carved with a central biconical channel and the sides are decorated in thread-relief with two taotie masks flanking a rectangular crest carved with a grooved chevron design. The tops of the horns projecting above the edge of the convex top, with two narrow grooves carved across the base. The stone is of greyish-green colour with some small areas of buff alteration.
Provenance: C.T. Loo & Co., New York.
Frank Caro, New York, 1964.
Christie's New York, Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M.Sackler Collections, 18 March 2009, lot 279
Exhibited: Norton Gallery of Art, An Exhibition of Archaic Jades, West Palm Beach, Florida, 20 January-1 March 1950, pl. XIV (3).