A RARE WHITE AND RUSSET JADE 'MUSICIAN' PENDANT SONG – YUAN DYNASTY |

seated leaning on the left hip with the left knee folded on the ground and the right knee raised, the right arm bent at the elbow and holding the end of a narrow musical instrument by the shoulder, the left hand plucking the opposite end of the instrument in front of the belly, the face tilted and glancing up with a smile and a small patch of hair at the forehead, loose garments fluttering around the body, the textiles finely patterned with a diaper of wanzi- and star-filled units, the stone an icy white color streaked with russet, pierced from the head through the seat, stand (2)

Collection of Jon Edwards.
Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd., New York. 

A Private Collection of Early Chinese Jade Carvings, Weisbrod Chinese Art Ltd., New York, 1994, no. 25.

Robert P. Youngman, The Youngman Collection of Chinese Jades from Neolithic to Qing, Chicago, 2008, pl. 180.

The pendant is in good condition. The color of the stone is slightly more translucent than in the illustration in the printed 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.
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.

This charming figure of a musician captures the delight that a child entertainer would have brought to an audience. The hems of his sleeves fly from his elbows from the vigor of his playing, while his sweet smile and soft eyes beam with the pleasure he takes in his craft. Though the instrument cannot be identified, the player's engagement with it has been finely articulated with the right hand wrapping totally around one end, and the fingers of the left hand spreading across the opposite end evoking a different type of gesture. The detail incised into the garment further attests to the high level of care that the carver took in crafting this bead. Similar treatment of the garments and bodily expression can be found in a Song dynasty white jade carving of a boy and lotus in the collection of the Palace Museum, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware, vol. 2, Hong Kong, 1995, cat. no. 81; a Yuan dynasty white jade figure of a boy holding flowers in the same collection, illustrated in ibid., pl. 146; and a white and russet jade carving of Mohouluo sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th May 2014, lot 3245.