I-Hsuan Chen
Senior Specialist
Lot 43
A MINIATURE JADE FIGURE OF BODHISATTVA
Song-Ming dynasty
20 March 2023, 08:30 EDT
New YorkSold for US$63,375 inc. premium
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Coco Li
Sale Coordinator, Chinese Works of Art
Michael Hughes
Vice President and Head of Department
A MINIATURE JADE FIGURE OF BODHISATTVA
Song-Ming dynasty
Carved in the round, the deity seated in the 'lotus' position wearing a long robe with flaring sleeves behind elbows, his hair drawn high into a topknot, the base polished flat, pierced through the hands, the head, and base for stringing and attachment, the white jade with mottled areas finely polished.
1 1/4in (3.2cm) high
Carved in the round, the deity seated in the 'lotus' position wearing a long robe with flaring sleeves behind elbows, his hair drawn high into a topknot, the base polished flat, pierced through the hands, the head, and base for stringing and attachment, the white jade with mottled areas finely polished.
1 1/4in (3.2cm) high
Footnotes
宋-明 小件菩薩玉珮
Provenance:
Antiquarium, Ltd., New York, 2008
來源：
紐約 Antiquarium, Ltd. 古董行，2008 年
It is very rare to see miniature jade carving with such elegant details and expressive movement. The details of the seated bodhisattva are finely rendered and polished. The small drill holes are done discreetly and do not compromise the integrity of the sculpture. The facial feature of "八"-shaped eyebrows and low-relief ears may suggest a Song dynasty attribution, as discussed in the case of a Yuan dynasty jade 'boy with lotus' pendant, illustrated in Jade Wares of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Unearthed from Shanghai, Shanghai, 2001, p. 37, no. 20.
Attribution for jade carving of figures is very challenging because securely datable examples are scarce. Compare the jade figure of bodhisattva mounted with gold wires and gold lotus base, which may suggest the function of the present example, unearthed from Ming dynasty tombs of the Lu family in Lujiazui, New Pudong district, Shanghai, illustrated in the same volume, op. cit., pp. 174-175, no. 118, described by the author as the finial of a hair pin.