A small jade figure of a bixie, Western Han dynasty | 西漢 玉圓雕辟邪

Ku Ngar Antique Ltd, Hong Kong.

E Yuan Tang Chinese Art, Taipei, acquired in 1992.

Christie's Hong Kong, 9th July 2020, lot 2867.

古雅閣，香港

一言堂，台北，購於1992年

香港佳士得2020年7月9日，編號2867

The present lot's powerful beast, with its compact body crouched down and tensed on four legs, exudes a forceful strength. Its compelling sculptural quality, a typical characteristic of Han period jades, is emphasised by the combination of bold modelling, finely incised details, and the stone's high polish.

A closely related carved jade bixie, also dated to the Han dynasty in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (I), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 201. Though slightly longer in size (10.9 cm), it is notable that both beasts are carved naturalistically with an alert posture and ferocious features. Compare with a Western Han jade bixie excavated from Zhouling County, Xianyang City, Shaanxi Province, currently in the Xianyang Museum, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p. 272. Another is illustrated by Tsai Ching-Liang, Jades of Han Dynasty, Taipei, 2005, pl. 126. Compare also a Han dynasty brown jade bixie illustrated in Masterworks of Chinese Jade in the Palace Museum, Taipei, 1969, pl. 20.