TWO CHINESE JADE CARVINGS

HAN DYNASTY AND 19TH CENTURY

The flattened celadon jade cicada of an even tone; the other an archaistic axe-shaped pendant, the shaft surmounted by a sinuous chilong, the rounded blade incised with kui dragons and stylised scrolls, the pale stone with feathery russet markings, 6cm and 5.9cm. (2)

Provenance: a private collection, London, the cicada, formerly in the collection of Professor Cheng Te-K'un, acquired from Bluett's on 11 December 1990 and dated by Bluett's to the Han dynasty, later purchased from Bonhams London, 14 May 2012, part of lot 253; the axe pendant formerly from the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, then purchased from Christie's New York, 18 March 2009, part of lot 461.