A RARE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF A BIXIE EASTERN HAN DYNASTY | 東漢 青白玉辟邪

Fashioned in the round from a pebble of translucent celadon tone, this carving convincingly captures the innate power and otherworldliness of the bixie. The carver’s virtuosity with the medium is evident in the articulation of the animal’s powerful semi-reclined pose and the fine incised lines that details its scaly body and wings. Depicted with the head of a lion, a single horn and a pair of wings, this mythical beast has its origins in the arts of western Asia, and became a frequently depicted subject during the transition from the Western Han to the Eastern Han dynasty. 

The Han dynasty saw the emergence of a rich sculptural tradition that developed from a heightened interest in the representation of animals and fabulous beasts in durable materials. The spread of Daoist philosophy and the pursuit of immortality among the upper echelons of Han society had a dramatic impact on the production and consumption of such sculptures. Monumental stone sculptures of animals and their small jade counterparts were found at Han dynasty burial sites, and are believed to have served the function of protecting their owner and leading the way to paradise. Evidence of this tradition is scarce, although a group of five jade animals were recovered in the vicinity of Emperor Yuan’s (r. 48-33 BC) mausoleum in Xi’an, including a bixie modelled in a similar pose. It has been suggested that these animals may have been displayed within the tomb as inhabitants of a miniature paradise landscape, as similar depictions are known on contemporary bronze incense burners (boshanlu).

Only a small number of jade mythical beasts from this period is known; one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum. Jade, vol. 4, Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, pl. 236; and an Eastern Han example, from the Sze Yuan Tang collection, was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 5th April 2016, lot 32. See also a much larger bixie in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Museum’s exhibition Splendid Treasures. A Hundred Masterpieces of the National Palace Museum on Parade, Taipei, 2012, cat. no. 18; another from the collection of Desmond Gure, now in the Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Washington D.C., published on the Museum’s website, accession no. S1987.26; and a jade fitting in the form of a bixie, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 353, fig. 6.

圓雕辟邪，玉色青白，玉質透亮，雕刻嫻熟，生動有力，栩栩如生。玉匠巧琢辟邪蹲伏姿態，宛若蓄勢待發。辟邪獅首，單角雙翼，鱗羽層疊，形象源自西亞，盛行於西漢末東漢初年。

漢代道家學說興盛，權貴追求長生之道，進而影響當朝工藝發展，玉石神獸雕塑尤其盛行，墓葬之中常見大型石雕鎮墓守陵及玉雕動物、瑞獸陪葬品，用以守護墓主，辟邪驅惡。相類存世之例甚罕，參考西安漢元帝（在位西元前48-33年）墓附近出土五件玉雕瑞獸，其中玉辟邪，姿態風格與本品相似。陵墓之中，此類玉雕瑞獸或用以再現宇宙天地之貌，如當朝博山爐。

參考北京故宮博物院藏玉雕瑞獸，錄於《故宮博物院藏品大系：玉器編4：漢魏晉南北朝》，北京，2011年，圖版236；思源堂舊藏一件東漢作例，2016年4月5日售於香港邦瀚斯，編號32。台北故宮博物院藏東漢玉辟邪，尺寸較大，盛名遠播，刊於《精彩一百國寶總動員》，台北，2012年，編號18。Desmond Gure 雅蓄一例，現存華盛頓弗利爾美術館，並載於博物館網站，藏品編號 S1987.26；並參考一例玉辟邪形珮，收錄於羅森，《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing》，倫敦，1995年，頁353，圖6。