A SET OF TWELVE JADE AND GILT-BRONZE ‘AUSPICIOUS BEASTS’ BELT PLAQUES, LIAO DYNASTY
China, c. 10th-12th century. Each jade belt plaque is carved in high relief with an animal or mythical beast, depicting a dragon, qilin, phoenixes, lion, tiger, bear, and cranes, and set within a bronze fitting. Each jade plaque and bronze fitting is pierced with a slit. The smoothly polished jades are of a celadon tone with russet inclusions. The bronze fittings are covered in a fine, naturally grown patina with malachite and cuprite encrustations.


Provenance:
From an old private collection in Vienna, Austria.

Condition:
Good condition, commensurate with age. Wear, traces of use, small losses, minor nicks here and there, signs of weathering and erosion, encrustations.

Scientific Analysis Report:
An examination of the bronze components of the present lot was conducted by the Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum für Archäometrie using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis, micro energy dispersive X-Ray fluorescence analysis, and lead test analysis. These tests found that the bronze fitting of the largest belt plaque was made from a tin-lead-bronze alloy in which no modern components of any kind could be detected. Conversely, it was also found that the sample contains trace elements that are typical of ancient metal alloys. The report concludes that the tests found absolutely no evidence of modern manufacture of the present lot. A copy of the examination report, no. 16-024, dated 25 February 2016, accompanies this lot.

Weight: 747 g (total)
Dimensions: Size 8.5 x 4.2 cm (the largest) and 4 x 3 cm (the smallest)

With a silk storage box. (13)


Khotan in the Tarim
basin had rich jade stores during the Tang dynasty. The jade was fashioned into ornaments such as women’s comb tops and decorative plaques for belts worn by senior officials. The use of such plaques had its origin in the Tang dynasty, when the emperor presented jade-decorated belts to the nobility and senior members of the government as part of their official costume. The jade plaques in this set are carved in high relief with images of animals and mythical beasts.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related set of ten decorative belt plaques, dated to the Tang dynasty, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 1992.165.22a-j. Compare a related group of three gilt-bronze mounted jade belt fittings, two with similar slits as found on the present lot, dated to the Liao dynasty, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, record number BATEA : 451. Compare a related celadon jade plaque carved with a crane, dated to the Western Liao dynasty (of the Qara Khitai based in Central Asia who were originally refugees from the Liao dynasty), circa 12th-13th century, in the British Museum, registration number 1880.3611.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 1 June 2023, lot 319
Estimate: HKD 600,000 or approx.
EUR 69,000
converted at the time of writing
Description: A set of eleven white jade ‘musicians and dancers’ belt plaques, Tang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the related forms and manner of carving with similar high relief. Note that the lot comprises eleven white jade belt plaques (the largest 5.2 cm long), dated to the Tang dynasty.




遼代一組十二件鎏金銅神獸紋玉腰帶牌

中國，約十至十二世紀。每塊玉帶牌均以高浮雕形式雕刻有動物或神獸，描繪龍、麒麟、鳳凰、獅子、老虎、熊和鶴，銅鎏金鑲嵌。每塊玉牌上方有一道縫，表面光滑，呈青色，帶有黃褐色絮狀物。銅表面覆蓋著一層自然包漿。


來源：
奧地利私人舊藏。

品相：
狀態良，有磨損、使用痕跡、小缺損、風化和侵蝕的跡象、結殼。

科學檢測報告：
Curt-Engelhorn-Zentrum für Archäometrie 使用能量色散 X 射線熒光分析、微能量色散 X 射線熒光分析和鉛測試分析對本拍品的銅部件進行了檢查。這些測試發現，最大的銅配件是由錫鉛青銅合金製成的，其中沒有檢測到任何類型的現代成分。相反，還發現樣品中含有古代金屬合金典型的微量元素。 報告的結論是，沒有發現本拍品有現代製造的證據。隨附一份2016年2月25日出具的編號爲 16-024的報告副本。

重量：總747 克
尺寸：8.5 x 4.2 厘米 (最大)，4 x 3 厘米 (最小)

絲襯盒子 (13)


唐代塔里木盆地的于闐地區
玉器儲量豐富。 這些玉石被製成裝飾品，例如婦女的玉梳背和高級官員腰帶上的裝飾牌。 這種玉牌的使用起源於唐朝，當時皇帝向貴族和政府高級官員贈送玉飾腰帶，作為官方服裝的一部分。


文獻比較：


比較一組相近的十件唐代帶佩，收藏於大都會藝術博物館，館藏編號1992.165.22a-j。比較一組相近的遼代三件鎏金銅玉帶佩，收藏於巴斯東亞藝術博物館，館藏編號BATEA : 451。比較一件相近的約十二至十三世紀西遼青玉鶴紋玉佩，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1880.3611。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2023年6月1日，lot 319
估價：HKD 600,000（相當於今日
EUR 69,000
）
描述：唐白玉雕伎樂紋帶珮一組十一件
專家評論：比較相近的外形、雕刻紋飾。請注意此為十一件白玉帶佩 (最大的長5.2 釐米)，且為唐代。