Lot 55. A rare white and russet jade 'mythical figure' pendant, Tang Dynasty, 4cm (1 1/2in) high. Estimate HK$150,000 - 200,000 (US$19,000 - 26,000). Sold for HK$ 3,540,000 (€406,826). Photo: Bonhams

Superbly and deftly carved as an animated mythical figure, the face vividly rendered with a ferocious expression, menacing teeth and muddled hair, kneeling on its left leg with the left hand holding the other knee while the right hand grasps its curling tail, lavishly dressed with a waisted belt, the attractive translucent stone of even white tone suffused with russet inclusions.  

Provenance: Cheung Tao Yin, Hong Kong, 1982
The Songzhutang collection, no.75

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade, Hong Kong, 2011, pl.75

Note: Cheung Tao Yin was an eminent collector of Chinese archaic jades who was a renowned filmmaker in Hong Kong in the 1970s. One of his notable works includes Dragon Inn.

This mythical figure is particularly finely carved, displaying masterful carving in the lively depiction of the figure's expression and skilfully capturing a great sense of dynamic and fluid movement of the body.

It is rare to find a similar Tang dynasty example of such a figure; however, compare the similar carving style and the execution of the smooth body shape of the present lot to two other small white jade figures, Tang dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 5 Tang, Song, Liao, Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, pp.33-34, pls.14 and 16.

Bonhams. THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES from the Neolithic Period to the Yuan Dynasty, 30 May 2017, 14:00 HKT