Fine Asian Art - 14 Nov 2023

73

TWO CHINESE JADE ZODIAC SNAKE’S-HEAD FIGURES

£2,000 - £3,000 £7,560

TWO CHINESE JADE ZODIAC SNAKE’S-HEAD FIGURES
18TH CENTURY

Each figure sitting wearing scholar's robes; one in a pale celadon jade sits with his legs crossed, the smaller figure in white jade, with the left knee raised, the facial features and robes are finely incised, 4.5cm and 3.8cm. (2)

Provenance: the collection of Miss Elizabeth Augusta Grosvenor Guest (1879-1960), grand-daughter of Richard Grosvenor, 2nd Marquess of Westminster (1795-1869), and grand-daughter of Lady Charlotte Guest (later Schreiber, 1812-95).

Jade zodiac figures were produced under the direct commission of the Qianlong Emperor. They were placed around a central rectangular jade box carved with the Daoist qian trigram, a symbol of the Qianlong Emperor, thus they appear to have represented celestial guardians protecting the Emperor in all directions. For another jade zodiac snake’s-head figure, see Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 1st June 2018, lot 687.

十八世紀 玉雕蛇形擺件 一組兩件
來源:伊麗莎白·格羅夫納·格斯特女士(1879-1960)收藏。

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