Lot 9801. Property from the Mineo Hata Collection. A rare large celadon jade horse head, Han dynasty; w. 17.5 cm. Lot Sold 1,920,000 HKD (Estimate 200,000 - 400,000 HKD) © Sotheby's 2026
 

Provenance: Collection of Yamaguchi Kenshiro (1886-1957), Kobe.

Note: Powerfully carved with a strong neck, flared nostrils, and bulging eyes, the present jade horse head is a testament to the masterful lapidary skills of the Han to Six Dynasties period. The craftsman has skilfully utilised the natural russet inclusions of the pale celadon stone to highlight the spirited vigour of the animal. During the Han dynasty, horses were highly revered as essential military assets and spiritual conduits. Emperor Wu famously sought 'heavenly horses' or tianma from the Ferghana valley, believing these magnificent creatures could carry the soul to the immortal realm. As Daoist faithful believed jade possessed the power to preserve the physical body, jade carvings of horses were highly prized mortuary artefacts intended to guide the tomb occupant into the heavens.

This carving likely formed part of a larger composite figure, dowelled together from separate sections. A related jade head of a horse of similar size, dated to the Han dynasty, is preserved in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Rawson and John Ayers. Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, London, 1975, no.197. Another closely related celadon and russet jade horse head, Han to Six Dynasties, from the Collection of Stephen Junkunc III, illustrated in Alfred Salmony, Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty, New York, 1963, pl. XXXII-5, was sold in our New York rooms, 22nd September, lot 252.

Sotheby's. Zoomorphia: Animal Forms in Ancient China | Chinese Art, Hong Kong, 5 May 2026