Lot 7. A rare yellowish-green jade 'dragon' bead, Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) or earlier; 4.5cm (1 3/4in) long. Sold for 5,100 €. Photo Fabrice Gousset.

Of compressed tubular form, divided into three registers, carved to the centre with a sinuous striding chilong, with elaborately curled bifurcated tail, a small circular aperture to each narrow side, the upper and lower registers with stylised taotie and scroll motifs within key-fret bands, some red pigmented detailing remaining.

Provenance: Robert Rousset, Paris (1901-1981), acquired prior to 1935.
Jean-Pierre Rousset, Paris (1936-2021).

Note: Compare with three related jade beads of conical tapering form, Eastern Zhou/Han dynasty, illustrated by J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pp.274-275, nos.17:17-19. See also the shape of a white jade 'cloud-design' bead, Warring States period, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 3 Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, Beijing, 2010, no.226.

See a related archaic jade bead, Zhou dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 11 May 2021, lot 5; and another archaic jade bead (part lot), Western Zhou dynasty, which was sold at Bonhams London, 12 May 2022, lot 6.

Bonhams Cornette de Saint Cyr Paris. The Robert and Jean-Pierre Rousset Collection of Asian Art: A Century of Collecting - Part 1. Paris, 25 october 2022