Beschreibung:

China, 770-256 BC. Well carved as a four-legged beast in profile, the back arched slightly and the tail curled, the fur pattern neatly incised. The stone now almost completely opaque, with small areas of translucency to the edges, and of ivory color with minuscule patches of cream and brown. Provenance: The private collection of Irene and Wolfgang Zacke. The couple has been active in the art trade for well over half a century and were one of the first in Austria to offer Asian works of art for sale, starting in 1968. Since the late 1980s, they have been collecting ancient Chinese jades, building an extensive collection over the decades. Condition: Excellent condition, commensurate with age, with old wear and signs of weathering and erosion. Weight: 41.9 g Dimensions: Length 9.7 cm The present plaque is an excellent representation of Eastern Zhou dynasty jade, at once powerful and fine, elegant and subtle, the carving clearly demonstrating the Eastern Zhou craftsmen's mastery of the material as well as the advanced development of complex and dynamic designs. Literature comparison: Several related jade 'tigers' have been published, including one in Yang Boda, Zhongguo yu qi quan ji [The Complete Compilation of Chinese Jades], Vol. 1, Shijiazhuang Shi, 2005, p. 217, pl. 3. Another jade 'tiger' was excavated from tomb 1 at Caomen Bay, Guojiamiao, Zaoyang, Hubei province, and is now in the Hubei Provincial Museum, published in Phoenix Reborn: Chu Jades Excavated from Hubei, Wuhan, Hong Kong, 2017, pl. 7. Auction result comparison: Compare a related but slightly larger (14 cm) jade tiger plaque, also dated to the Eastern Zhou, but of different color, at Sotheby’s New York in Important Chinese Art on 23 September 2020, lot 568, sold for USD 403,200. Compare also a related jade dragon pendant, of similar opaque ivory-colored alteration to the stone, at Christie’s New York, in Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections on 18 March 2009, lot 302, sold for USD 30,000. Compare a related but earlier jade tiger-form pendant, dated to the Western Zhou, of similar size, but different color, at Christie’s Hong Kong, in The Chang Wei-Hwa Collection of Archaic, on 30 November 2020, lot 2768, sold for HKD 275,000. 東周虎形玉珮 中國，公元前770至256年。虎形珮雕琢精良，背部微拱，尾巴捲曲，綫條流暢。 玉料幾乎不透明，鈣化，邊緣有小塊半透明區域，帶有象牙色、微小的乳白色和棕色内沁。 來源：Irene 與Wolfgang Zacke收藏。這對夫妻一直活躍於藝術品行業已有半個多世紀，自1968年起他們開始在奧地利經營亞洲藝術品，是最早的商人之一。自1980年代後期以來，他們一直在收集中國古玉，數十年來建立了一個大規模的收藏。 品相：品相極好，與年代相符，舊時磨損和鈣化。 重量：41.9 克 尺寸：長 9.7 厘米 拍賣結果比較：一件相近但稍大 (14 厘米) 的東周玉虎珮，但顔色不同，見紐約蘇富比Important Chinese Art 2020年9月23日 lot 568, 售價USD 403,200; 一件玉龍珮，相近的不透明象牙色鈣化色，見紐約佳士得Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections 2009年3月18日, lot 302, 售價USD 30,000; 一件相近但更早期的虎形珮，西周，相近尺寸但顔色不同，見香港佳士得The Chang Wei-Hwa Collection of Archaic 2020年11月 30日 lot 2768, 售價HKD 275,000。