A GREEN JADE ‘BIRD’ PENDANT FRAGMENT, WESTERN ZHOU DYNASTYChina, 1100-1000 BC. The flat stone carved in the form of a stylized bird, each side with grooves forming the wings and tail. The opaque jade of a grayish-green color with areas of white calcification.Provenance: From the collection of Dr. Wou Kiuan. Wou Lien-Pai Museum, coll. no. E.3.21A-H. Dr. Wou Kiuan (1910-1997) was a Chinese diplomat and noted scholar of Chinese art. His father, Wou Lien-Pai (1873-1944), was one the leading political figures of early 20th century China, remembered for his role as speaker and leader of parliament during the turbulent years of the Republican era. Dr. Wou himself embarked on an illustrious career in diplomacy until his retirement in 1952, when he settled in London and devoted the rest of his life to the study of Chinese art. It was no doubt fortuitous that Dr. Wou’s years of collecting coincided with an abundant availability of exceptional Chinese art on the London market. From the mid-1950s to the late 1960s he was able to form a collection of well over 1,000 works that together represented virtually every category of Chinese art. At the heart of Dr. Wou’s drive to collect was a burning desire to preserve the relics of China’s rich historical past scattered across Europe, and to promote Chinese art and culture. It is unclear when Dr. Wou conceived of the idea to create a place to house his collection, but in 1968 he opened the doors to the Wou Lien-Pai Museum, named in honor of his father. Over the years the Museum became a ‘must see’ destination for collectors, academics, and visiting dignitaries, and Dr. Wou would delight in leading his visitors through the galleries, recounting stories of China’s glorious history. Condition: Condition commensurate with age. Old wear, weathering and erosion, nibbling, some chips and losses. The stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.Weight: 7.2 g Dimensions: Length 7.6 cmExpert's note (added 20.2.2023): Jades such as the present lot can be dated to as early as the Shang Dynasty. It has been theorized that they were once made as adornments and supports for elaborate lacquer vessels imitating the designs of ritual bronzes (see image section). None of these complete vessels have ever been found. This original intended use eventually fell out of fashion with the repurposing of these archaic examples for bodily adornment. See Qian Yang's thesis: The Circulation of Jades in Early China (Late Neolithic – Eastern Zhou, ca. 4500 -221 B.C.). Literature comparison: Compare a closely related jade plaque, described as a fish, Western Zhou dynasty, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 24.51.7. Compare a closely related jade plaque of a bird, in the British Museum, accession number 1947,0712.465, and illustrated in J. Rawson, Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Qing, British Museum, 1995, p. 227, fig. 1, where she notes that during the Western Zhou dynasty, the tail became more horizontal and looks more like a ‘fish’ tail, such is the case for the present lot.Auction result comparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 26 May 2021, lot 127Price: HKD 56,700 or approx. EUR 6,900 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A celadon jade ‘bird’ pendant, Western Zhou dynastyExpert remark: Compare the related form and grooves. Note the much smaller size (5.3 cm).西周鳥形玉珮中國，公元前1100-1000 年。珮呈扁片狀，以陰刻線技法雕琢側面梟鳥造型，可辨羽翅與鳥尾。玉質，局部淺褐色沁與白色鈣化。 來源：吳權博士收藏；吳蓮伯美術館，館藏編號 E.3.21A-H。吳權(1910-1997)博士 曾是一位中國外交家以及知名中國藝術收藏家。他的父親吳蓮伯 (1873-1944)先生曾是二十世紀初中國重要政治人物，因在民國動蕩歲月中擔任國會議員及議長而聞名。1952 年，吳博士在外交領域走上了輝煌之路，直到他退休後定居倫敦，並將餘生奉獻給了對中國藝術的研究。毫無疑問，吳權博士多年的收藏，與大量中國藝術珍品現身倫敦藝術市場上時間點相呼應，這無疑是幸運的。從 1950 年代中期到 1960 年代後期，他收集了 1,000 多件藏品，涵蓋了中國藝術的每一個門類。吳博士之所以收藏，其原因主要是爲保護散落歐洲各地的中國文物與推廣中國藝術與文化。尚不清楚吳博士何時想到創建一個美術館來歸置他的收藏的，但在 1968 年，他打開了以他父親的名字命名的 吳蓮伯美術館的大門。多年來，美術館已成為收藏家、學者和來訪政要的必經之地，而吳博士總是很樂意給參觀者介紹美術館，講述中國光輝歷史的故事。 品相：品相良好，有磨損、風化和侵蝕、磕損、刻痕和缺損，具有天然裂紋的石料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些可能已經發展成細小的裂紋。 重量：7.2 克 尺寸：長7.6 厘米 文獻比較： 比較一件非常相近的西周玉雕魚，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，館藏編號24.51.7。比較一件非常相近的玉鳥 ，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1947,0712.465，見J. Rawson，《Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Qing》，大英博物館，1995年，頁227，圖1；他在書中指出，在西周時期，鳥尾巴會被雕刻地較水平，看起來更像一條“魚”尾巴，這就是本拍品的情況。 拍賣結果比較： 形制：相近 拍賣：香港蘇富比，2021年5月26日，lot 127 價格：HKD 56,700（相當於今日EUR 6,900） 描述：西周青白玉鳥形珮 專家評論：比較相近的外形和凹槽。請注意尺寸小很多(5.3 厘米)。