Lot 122. A beige jade ceremonial blade, ge, Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1046 BCE). Length 5 1/2  in., 14 cm. Estimate 10,000 — 15,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the flat shaft with beveled edges tapering to a curved point at one end, the opposite end indented at each side for attachment to a handle, pierced with an aperture, the stone a creamy beige color with wavy veins of translucent pale celadon.

Provenance: Spink & Son, London, 24th May 1983.
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 43.

Lot 116. A celadon and brown jade 'Bovine mask' carving, Shang dynasty (circa 1600-1046 BCE). Length 1 5/8  in., 4 cm. Estimate 6,000 — 8,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

the wider end carved with two incurved horns framing a central aperture, the almond-shaped eyes incised beneath a raised brow and peering out over flared nostrils, the nostrils each with a pronounced rim extending down the side to form the edge of the lip, a pierced rectangular tab emerging from the mouth, the reverse with a smooth slightly concave surface, the stone a pale celadon color dappled with white and transmuting to an opaque mahogany tone at the horns.

Provenance: Galaxie Art & Gift Co. (B. K. Wong), Hong Kong, 30th July 1987. 
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 76.

Lot 41. A yellow and russet jade cylinder, Shang dynasty or later. Width 2 1/2  in., 6.3 cm. Estimate 20,000 — 30,000 USD. Courtesy Sotheby's.

of short tubular form with a lipped rim at each end, the thin walls carved to the exterior with four low-relief fillets divided by a central horizontal flange in high relief, the flange accented with four evenly-spaced protruding rectangular tabs, the translucent beige-celadon stone with swaths of opaque russet at one end.

Provenance: Galaxie Art & Gift Co. (B. K. Wong), Hong Kong, 3rd March 1988. 
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 85.

Sotheby's. Chinese Art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art: The Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, New York, 10 september 2019