A MINIATURE ARCHAIC JADE OX LATE SHANG / EARLY WESTERN ZHOU

carved in the round with horns facing to the rear above the pressed-back ears, the details on the head all incised, standing on legs that lean slightly back, a bull-nose perforation drilled through the neck to allow for suspension, the opaque mottled buff stone with brown inclusions, Japanese wood box  (4)

Mayuyama & Co., Ltd., Tokyo, acquired between 1960-1969.
The Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard C. Bull.
Sotheby Parke Bernet, New York, 6th December 1983, lot 163.

There is a tiny chip to the tip of each horn, otherwise in overall good condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

A similar example is illustrated by Alfred Salmony, Carved Jade of Ancient China, Berkeley, 1938, Pl XXIII, no. 7.; and another in Archaic Chinese Jades, University of Pennsylvannia, Philadelphia, 1940, no. 99.  A line drawing of a piece recovered from a late Westen Zhou tomb at Shanxi Tianma Qucun, of similar profile to the present lot is illustrated by Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade From the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 24, fig. 8a.