A JADE 'COIL' PENDANT AND A PALE GREY JADE 'BOSS' HARNESS ORNAMENT LIAO DYNASTY

the first skilfully worked and reticulated with four overlapping lobed bands radiating from the square-shaped knot in the centre; the stone of a pale beige colour with milky inclusions; the second centred with a boss and decorated with three trefoil flanges, each pierced with an aperture, the pale grey stone with beige and grey veins and icy inclusions

There is a small section of pitting to the ornament. Small sections have possibly been lightly polished to conceal an earlier nick. There are tiny nicks to the edges of the harness ornament. Both pieces are 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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Qidan people traditionally favoured gold and silver, but were gradually influenced by Han people and incorporated the use of jades, mainly as ornaments after the establishment of the Liao dynasty. In the succeeding Jin dynasty, the ruling Jurchens adopted Han culture even more readily and continued to produce various jade ornaments. The present jade knot was possibly designed to be worn with further suspending jades as a set. An excavated set of jade pendants linked by gilt-silver chains from the Liao dynasty, with a similar plaque modelled as a knot at the top, was included in Tomb of the Princess of State Chen, Beijing, 1993, pp. 82-84 and col. pls. 20:1 and 21.

The other piece, the T-shaped ornament, was designed to be attached with metal pins onto horse harnesses straps at intersections. A harness set with comparable jade ornaments is included in ibid., pp. 106-108 and col. pl. 31:1, also illustrated in Noble Riders from Pines and Deserts: The Artistic Legacy of the Qidan, Art Museum, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004, Hong Kong, fig. VI:8-1. These types of ornaments are believed to be made after Turkic metal ornaments of similar form. For a line drawing of a Turkic horse-harness ornament excavated in southern Siberia, see Sun Ji, ‘Lun jinnian Nei Menggu chutu de Tujue yu tujueshi jinyinqi [On Turkic and Turkic-style gold and silverwares recently excavated from Inner Mongolia]’, Wenwu/Cultural relics, 1993, no. 8, pp. 48-58. There is a further jade horse-harness ornament offered in this sale, lot 233.