A fine white jade recumbent mythical beast


Yuan/early Ming DynastyWell carved with the head poised forward, with almond-shaped eyes flanking the slightly protruding forehead crowned with a single ridged horn reaching its back and raised spine continuing to the tail, the legs tucked underneath below fire scrolls and above lingzhi shaped cloud-scrolls, the stone of white tone with minor russet inclusions to the underside and horn. 4.2cm (1 5/8in) long.
|元或明早期 白玉臥獸把件Provenance:Durwin Tang Collection來源:鄧德雍收藏Compare with a related pale green and russet jade mythical beast, Yuan/ early Ming dynasty, similarly carved atop cloud-scrolls, illustrated by J.C.Y.Watt, Chinese Jades from the Han to the Ch'ing, New York, 1980, no.51, where the author notes that mythical beasts riding on a vehicle of billowing clouds is a prevalent theme in Daoist art during the Yuan period. See also the swirling clouds on the underside of a mythical beast jade carving, Yuan dynasty, illustrated by G.Tsang, Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong, 1996, no.129.參考一件元代或明早期青玉沁色異獸，其雲紋與此件拍品類似，見屈志仁著，《Chinese Jades from the Han to the Ch'ing》，紐約，1980年，編號51。屈氏認為異獸踏雲乃是元代道教藝術題材。香港藝術館展出一件元代灰白玉乘雲瑞獸可作比較，見《中國肖生玉雕》，香港，1996年，編號129。