Lot 50. A jade ring ornament, Han Dynasty, 4.1cm (1 1/2in) long. Estimate HK$25,000 - 30,000 (US$3,200 - 3,900). Sold for HK$ 812,500 (€93,254). Photo: Bonhams.

The circular ornament gracefully carved with the phoenix head and tail emerging from the edge, the head turned backward with its pointed beak biting on its incised feathers, the attractive translucent stone of even white tone highlighted with a faint russet inclusion at the beak.  

Provenance: Acquired from the distinguished Hong Kong art dealer Lai Loy (1926-2012) in 1980
The Songzhutang collection, no.62

Published and Illustrated: T.Fok, The Splendour of Jade: The Songzhutang Collection of Jade,
Hong Kong, 2011, pl.62

Note: Ring ornaments are one of the principal categories of Han dynasty jades, typically carved with a denser design of dragons and phoenix or geometric pattern. Compare a ‘dragon’ ring ornament, Western Han dynasty, excavated from the Han tomb site at Sanjiaowei, Anhui Province, also simply decorated in relief with the head of the dragon above the ring, illustrated by Gufang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.235.

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