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A PAIR OF RETICULATED CELADON JADE 'DRAGON' BELT BUCKLES EARLY MING DYNASTY
Estimate
50,000 - 70,000 HKD
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Description
- Jade
each with a rounded lobed border framing a reticulated scene of a dragon writhing sinuously amidst lingzhi blooms, the stone of a pale celadon colour with faint russet inclusions, the underside of the frame pierced with small apertures
Condition
There are minute chips to the fragile extremities, especially the tips of the lingzhi, but otherwise 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."
"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."
Catalogue Note
This pair of belt buckles are striking for the intricate rendering of the design, with the dragons depicted flying through layers of wispy clouds. Belt sets appeared in China only around the 3rd and 4th century AD, and were probably derived from gold and silver prototypes that had been in use in the steppe areas. They were immediately incorporated into the traditional dress code and were produced in a variety of materials, jade being the most important. According to the Ming hui yao [Essential regulations of the Ming dynasty]: ‘Those of the first rank wear jade belts; those of the second rank have patterned belts…’ (see Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 326).
Another set of early Ming jade belt plaques, similarly carved with dragons among clouds, excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang, in Zhongxiang, now held in the Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, was included in the exhibition Royal Taste. The Art of Princely Courts in Fifteenth-Century China, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, 2015, cat. no. 59; a buckle, excavated from the tomb of Wang Xingzu at Zhangjiawa, Nanjing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, Beijing, 2005, vol. 7, pl. 199 (top); and another was included in the exhibition Chinese Jade, Spink & Son Ltd, London, 1991, cat. no. 84.
Another set of early Ming jade belt plaques, similarly carved with dragons among clouds, excavated from the tomb of Prince Zhuang of Liang, in Zhongxiang, now held in the Hubei Provincial Museum, Wuhan, was included in the exhibition Royal Taste. The Art of Princely Courts in Fifteenth-Century China, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Sarasota, 2015, cat. no. 59; a buckle, excavated from the tomb of Wang Xingzu at Zhangjiawa, Nanjing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, Beijing, 2005, vol. 7, pl. 199 (top); and another was included in the exhibition Chinese Jade, Spink & Son Ltd, London, 1991, cat. no. 84.