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Lot details Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價 China, 1100-1000 BC. Well carved in a dynamic position with the legs bent underneath, the mouth open, the ears swept backward, and short tail slightly upswept. Pierced through the neck for suspension. The translucent stone of a pale celadon tone with black veins and patches. Note the neatly incised and distinct double-line grooves typical for the late Shang to Western Zhou period. Provenance: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964), acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. The Beasleys collected objects from across Europe, buying from auction houses and local museums to expand the collection, which contained material from the Pacific, Asia, Africa, and Northwestern America. Beasley wrote numerous articles for anthropological journals and was considered an expert in his field. He died in 1939 and his collection was stored with the British Museum collections during the war, which was fortunate, as the Cranmore Museum was destroyed by bombing. After the war, substantial portions of the collection were passed to the British Museum, the Royal Museum in Edinburgh, the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, the University of Cambridge, the Pitt Rivers Museum, and the Merseyside County Museum. Other pieces, such as the present lot, were sold by his widow and, after her death in 1974, by their daughters. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley’s death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present lot. Condition: Excellent condition with some old wear, expected signs of weathering and erosion, minimal nibbling, losses, encrustations. Remnants of ancient pigment. Weight: 18.5 g Dimensions: Length 6.1 cm Please click here to read the full description Literature comparison: Compare a related jade rabbit with similar double-line grooves, dated to the Shang dynasty, circa 1200-1050 BC, 4 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 1973,0726.117. Compare a related jade rabbit, dated 11th-10th century BC, 3 cm long, in the Harvard Art Museums, object number 1943.50.305, illustrated in Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber, 'Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum', Cambridge, 1975, p. 246. cat. no. 365. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s New York, 13 September 2019, lot 817 Price: USD 52,500 or approx. EUR 58,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A dark green jade rabbit-form pendant, late Shang - early Western Zhou dynasty, 11th-10th century Expert remark: Compare the related flat form, pose, and open mouth. Note the smaller size (4.2 cm) and the lack of detailed incisions. Auction result comparison: Type: Remotely related Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 22 March 2023, lot 643 Price: USD 25,400 or approx. EUR 23,500 converted at the time of writing Description: An archaic jade 'mythical beast' pendant (Xi), Western Zhou dynasty or later Expert note: Compare the similar double-line grooves typical for the late Shang to Western Zhou dynasty. 点此阅读中文翻译 (Chinese Translation) 商末至西周玉兔佩飾 中國，公元前1100-1000年。雕刻生動，兔腿彎曲在身下，嘴巴微張，耳朵向後，短尾巴略微上翹。兔頸下方有一個小孔用於懸掛。青色玉料半透明，帶有黑色紋理和斑塊。請注意商代晚期至西周時期典型的整齊且清晰的雙線刻槽。 來源：Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939)收藏，他逝世後由其遺孀Irene Beasley保存；Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964)，約於1939年購於上述收藏，之後在同一家族保存至今。Harry Geof