I-Hsuan Chen
Senior Specialist
Lot 34
A POLISHED ROCK CRYSTAL PILLOW
Tang dynasty
20 March 2023, 08:30 EDT
New YorkSold for US$15,300 inc. premium
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Coco Li
Sale Coordinator, Chinese Works of Art
Michael Hughes
Vice President and Head of Department
A POLISHED ROCK CRYSTAL PILLOW
Tang dynasty
The solid oblong block with slightly concave and canted top, the front and back sides gently tapering down toward the front, the points and edges rounded down, the stone of translucent silvery-icy character with horizontal striations, the surface polished smooth with remains of encrusted earth from burial.
2 3/4in (7cm) high in the front; 2 7/8in (7.3cm) high in the back
5 3/4in (14.6cm) width in the front; 6 1/4in (15.8cm) width in the back
The solid oblong block with slightly concave and canted top, the front and back sides gently tapering down toward the front, the points and edges rounded down, the stone of translucent silvery-icy character with horizontal striations, the surface polished smooth with remains of encrusted earth from burial.
2 3/4in (7cm) high in the front; 2 7/8in (7.3cm) high in the back
5 3/4in (14.6cm) width in the front; 6 1/4in (15.8cm) width in the back
Footnotes
唐 水晶方枕
Compare the small rock crystal pillow discovered at the Famen temple in Xi'an, Shaanxi province, the cache under the stupa dedicated in A.D. 874, illustrated in Famen si digong Zhenbao (Precious Cultural Relics in the Crypt of Famen Temple), Xi'an, 1988, no. 30.
See also a closely related Tang dynasty stone pillow made of white marble in this sale, lot 7.