A RARE PAIR OF CELADON JADE 'PIG' CARVINGS WESTERN HAN DYNASTY

each modelled as a stylised recumbent pig with boldly defined details, pierced under the snout and tail with a small hole, the lustrously polished stone with calcified areas

The carvings are in good condition with expected calcified areas as visible in the he catalogue photo. There is a bruise to the leg of the left carving and minute shallow nicks to the edges of both, with possible light areas of polish, including the underside of the left carving.
"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."

Jade carvings of pigs rendered with bold angular cuts and in reclining poses were made throughout the Han and Six Dynasties period and form an important group of jade carvings that were used both in daily life and for burial. Made in the so-called Han badao ('Han eight cuts') style, whereby the design is created by a small number of deep cuts, jade pigs of this type are known with perforations that run from below the snout through the tail ridge, or pierced under the snout and on the tail, such as the present pair. Although the function of these jade pigs remains a matter of speculation, numerous examples were found in burial sites, often held in the hands of the diseased.

Similarly carved jade pigs excavated from Han dynasty tombs include a pair unearthed from Tomb 104 at Baonudun, Hanjiang, Jiangsu province, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, Beijing, 2005, vol. 7, pl. 141; one from Youxiangxincun, Huayin, Shaanxi province, illustrated ibid., vol. 14, pl. 170, together with a pair from the northern suburbs of Xi'an, Shaanxi province, pl. 169, and one from Hongmiaopo, Xi'an, pl. 168; and a further pig from Tomb 1 at Dongyuan, Bozhou, Anhui province, published ibid., vol. 6, pl. 153. Compare also jade carvings of pigs in private collections, such as six pairs from the Yang-te-t'ang and Piao-te-Hsuan collections, included in the Collectors' Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1995, cat. nos 84-86 and 88-90; a pig from the Bei Shan Tang collection, included in the Min Chiu Society exhibition Chinese Jade Carving, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1983, cat. no. 121; another included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1980, cat. no. 15; and a further example in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, illustrated in Ming Wilson, Chinese Jades, London, 2004, pl. 73.