AN IVORY PENDANT DEPICTING LI TIEGUAI AND KUI XING, MING DYNASTY
China, 1368-1644. Of rectangular form with rounded corners, carved in relief depicting on one side Li Tieguai with his characteristic iron crutch amid tufts of grass flanked by a craggy rock and towering pine tree amid swirling clouds, and to the other Kui Xing, the God of Examinations, standing atop a cloud in his characteristically vigorous pose holding a writing brush in his raised right hand and an ingot in the left.


Provenance:
Collection of Maria and Johannes Nickl, thence by descent in the same family. Maria (1926-2022) and Johannes Nickl (d. 2020) lived in Vienna, Austria, and were ardent collectors of Asian, Buddhist, and Egyptian works of art. They were highly active in Vienna’s tight-knit Asian art trade and assembled most of their collection during the 1980s and 1990s, frequently buying from Galerie Zacke and later Galerie Asboth. The couple were also noted museum patrons and their names are still found on the Ehrentafel (‘Roll of Honor’) of the Egyptian and Near Eastern Collection at the Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien (Museum of Fine Arts Vienna) today.

Condition:
Very good condition with some wear, natural imperfections including expected age cracks, light scratches, few tiny nicks. One minuscule old fill to upper edge. Magnificent ancient and natural patina.

CITES
: European Union Certificate number AT 23-B-0235, dated 06.7.2023.

Weight: 48.1 g
Dimensions: Height 7 cm


Literature comparison:

Compare a related ivory plaque depicting a figure and Buddhist lion, also dated to the Ming dynasty, 6.8 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number 2018,3005.551.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s London, 9 November 2011, lot 14
Estimate: GBP 30,000 or approx.
EUR 55,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A carved ivory pendant, Ming dynasty
Expert remark: Note the similar form and the more extensive wear to this ivory pendant as opposed to the present lot which is still in very good condition.

This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.




明代象牙雕鐵拐李與魁星佩飾


中國，1368-1644年。圓角長方，一面浮雕李鐵拐，手持鐵杖，周圍草叢怪石，松樹參天，雲霧繚繞；另一面是魁星立在雲端，右手舉著毛筆，左手拿著金錠。


來源：
Maria 與Johannes Nickl收藏，在同一家族保存至今。Maria (1926-2022年) 與 Johannes Nickl (d. 2020) 住在奧地利維也納，是亞洲、佛教和埃及藝術品的熱心收藏家。他們在維也納的亞洲藝術貿易中非常活躍，並在 1980 年代和 90 年代收集了大部分藏品，經常從 Zacke 藝廊和後來的 Asboth藝廊購買。這對夫婦也是著名的博物館贊助人，他們的名字至今仍出現在維也納藝術史博物館（維也納美術博物館）埃及和近東藏品的榮譽榜上。

品相：
狀況極好，有一些磨損、自然瑕疵，包括老化裂紋、輕微劃痕、一些微小刻痕。上部邊緣有舊修補。自然包漿。

CITES
：歐盟證書編號AT 23-B-0235，於2023年7月6日發行。

重量：48.1 克
尺寸：高 7 釐米


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的明代象牙雕人物太獅佩飾，高6.8 釐米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號2018,3005.551。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦蘇富比，2011年11月9日，lot 14
估價：GBP 30,000（相當於今日
EUR 55,000
）
描述：明代象牙雕鶴配飾
專家評論：請注意相似的外形，該象牙配飾磨損較嚴重。