A DARK GREEN JADE ‘FISH’ PENDANT, SHANG DYNASTY
China, 1600-1046 BC. Of slender form with a single aperture in the mouth for suspension. Mouth, eyes, and gills boldly carved with detailed incisions on the fins, a single character etched into one side of the fish. The partly translucent stone is of a deep-green tone with darker shadings, giving it an almost black sheen.


Inscription:
To one side, ‘gu’ (‘archaic’).


Provenance:
From an old private collection in Budapest, Hungary, acquired during the first half of the 20th century.

Condition:
Very good condition with natural wear, commensurate with age. Some weathering and erosion, calcification, minor nibbling.

Weight: 12.1 g
Dimensions: Length 7 cm


Expert's note:
Half of the stone is translucent while the other is opaque. With natural sunlight shining through, the translucent half is of a dark green color, bespeckled with dark brown flecks that create the appearance of fish scales.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2020, lot 696
Price: HKD 52,920 or approx.
EUR 6,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A green jade ‘fish’ pendant, Shang dynasty
Expert remark: Note the size (5.9 cm).




商代墨綠色魚形玉飾

中國，公元前1600-1046 年。細長魚形，嘴裡有一個用於懸掛的孔。魚嘴、眼睛、鰓以及鰭上有陰線雕刻。魚背刻有一個“古”字。局部半透明的深綠色調玉料，帶有較深的陰影，呈現近乎黑色的光澤。


來源：
匈牙利布達佩斯私人舊藏，購於二十世紀上半葉。

品相：
狀況非常好，自然磨損，部分風化、結殼、鈣化、輕微磕損。

重量：12.1 克
尺寸：長 7 厘米


專家注釋：
玉料一半是半透明的，而另一半是不透明的。在自然陽光的下，半透明的一半呈深綠色，上面點綴著深褐色的斑點，呈現出如魚鱗般的外觀。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2020年11月27日，lot 696
價格：HKD 52,920（相當於今日
EUR 6,500
）
描述：商代青玉魚形玉飾
專家評論：請注意尺寸(5.9厘米)。