Deux Cervidés en Jade Dynastie des Zhou Occidentaux, XE/IXE siècle avant J.-C

chaque plaque fine et plate sculptée en forme d'un daim aux larges bois, l'un allongé la tête tournée vers l'arrière, l'autre penché les pattes avant repliées sous lui, de simples lignes sinueuses figurant les yeux et les contours du corps, le plus grand percé d'un petit trou pour le suspendre, la pierre presque calcifiée d'une jolie teinte chamois ponctuée de rouge au doux poli satiné, D.W. 31/132 and 2213 (2)

Discovered at Luoyang, Henan (according to David-Weill's notes).
D.W 31/132: C. T. Loo, Paris.

Arts de la Chine Ancienne, Musée de l'Orangerie, Paris, 1937, no. 108.

D.W 31/132:
Paul Pelliot, Jades Archaïques de la Chine appartenant a Monsieur C. T. Loo, Paris, 1925, pl. XXX. 1.
Georges Salles, Arts de la Chine Ancienne, Paris, 1937, cat. no. 108 (not illustrated).

Both deer pendants are in overall very good condition. The deer on the left in the catalogue illustration has a tiny old chip to the rear of the front leg. There are traces of cinnabar and earth in the recessed areas of the carved lines, particularly on one side, and on the thin edges of the carving. There are traces of blue on the edges of the piece. The hole is drilled from one side. The inventory number is inscribed in black ink beneath the belly. The deer on the right in the catalogue illustration has old chips to the tips of three antlers. One side of the jade carving is more calcified and the surface a little rougher. There are traces of blue around the edges of the carving. The small hole between the antlers is drilled from one side and filled with earth. The inventory number is inscribed in black below the front leg.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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Jessica Rawson notes that small carvings in the shape of animals form one of the principal categories of Shang and early Western Zhou jades, made in large numbers and in a variety of forms, see Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 205. Small pendants in the form of stags or deer appear to be popular in the early and mid-Western Zhou period as numerous finds illustrate, compare, for example, similar deer-shaped pendants discovered at Rujiazhuang, Baoji, Shaanxi, published in Baoji Yu guo mudi, Beijing, 1988, vol. 2, pls. 183.1-4 and 184.1-4. 

The two jade deers from the David-Weill Collection are depicted in a crouching position, one of them with its head turned and glancing back. Rawson suggests that this pose may have been influenced by designs from Western Asia, see Rawson, ibid., p. 232.