A RARE WHITE JADE TERRAPIN NEOLITHIC PERIOD, DAWENKOU CULTURE |

the flattened pebble worked in the form of a terrapin with round eyes and a pointed nose, detailed with toed flippers and a short curved tail, the animal's back pierced with a circular aperture, the stone of a translucent white tone

Angus Forsyth and Brian McElney, Jades from China, The Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, 1994, cat. no. 52.

A minute impact point to the edge of the underside. Minor expected natural inclusions and flaws in stone.
"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."

The current pendant, worked from a translucent white stone as a soft-shelled terrapin, is accentuated with well-defined outlines and subtle contours. Other white jade examples from the Neolithic period have been excavated in the Lake Baikal area of southern Siberia. Compare a very similar example in the Avery Brundage Collection in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Rene-Yvon Lefebvre d'Argence, Chinese Jades in the Avery Brundage Collection, San Francisco, 1972, pl. XXII. Another example from the Edward and Louis B. Sonnenschein Collection is published in Archaic Chinese Jades from the Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection, The Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, 1953, pl. XXXIX, no. 8. See also a Dawenkou culture grey jade 'frog' pendant, also from the Peony collection, sold in these rooms, 28th/29th November 2019, lot 739.