A DEEP CELADON AND RUSSET JADE ‘CROUCHING BEAR’ PENDANT, SONG TO MING DYNASTY
China, 960-1644. Modeled in a recumbent pose with the head slightly lowered, the rounded eyes sensitively carved and the mane and fur subtly incised, the ears and snout as well as the tail and paws well detailed. Finely pierced through the mouth for suspension. The smoothly polished stone of a deep celadon tone with russet veins and patches.


Provenance:
From a private collection in Germany.

Condition:
Very good condition with expected old wear and minuscule nibbling. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks. The pendant has a remarkably unctuous surface overall, worn from centuries of appreciation.

Weight: 137.4 g
Dimensions: Length 6.3 cm


The bear has been a popular totemic emblem
in China since ancient times. China's foundation myths hold that the legendary Yellow Emperor, or Huang Di, early on lived with his tribe in the northwest, presumably in modern Shanxi Province, but then later migrated to Zhuolu, in present-day Hebei Province, where he became a farmer and tamed six different types of ferocious beasts, including the bear, or xiong, with which the Yellow Emperor ever since has been linked. According to legend, Gun - said to have been the great-grandson of the Yellow Emperor and the father of Yu the Great, or Da Yu - stole a special soil with which he planned to build dikes in an attempt to control the Yellow River's constantly recurring and very devastating floods. He failed in his mission, however, and, as punishment for his theft, was killed by Zhurong, the God of Fire. Gun's corpse turned into a yellow bear, or huangxiong, and jumped into a pool. A while later, a golden bear, alternatively said to be a golden dragon, emerged from the corpse's stomach and ascended into heaven, where the Yellow Emperor instructed it to complete his father's work in taming the Yellow River's waters. That bear turned out to be Da Yu, who - according to popular belief - heroically controlled the floods and became the mythological forefather of China's Xia dynasty. Therefore, the bear has been prominently associated with legendary rulers and Chinese national foundation myths since the earliest times.


Bears are native to China
, their presence there known since antiquity. They were kept in Han imperial zoos and parks, where the emperor and his entourage enjoyed watching them in performance or in combat with other animals. On the other hand, they were perceived as enlightened creatures and it was believed that they resided in spiritual mountains and possessed the ability to intermediate between heaven and earth. Bears have also been linked with military prowess, shamanism, and immortality. As a corollary, it might be noted that the words for 'bear' and 'virility' are exact homonyms, pronounced xiong. According to the 'Rites of Zhou', Zhou Li, edited during the Han dynasty, bears were employed in exorcism rituals, their skin worn over the head of the performer who, holding a lance and a shield, led the officials to perform the Seasonal Exorcism by searching through houses and driving away pestilences. See J. Lagerway, Early Chinese Religion. Part One. Shang through Han (1250 BC-220 AD), Boston, 2008, page 287.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Christie’s London, 10 May 2016, lot 49
Price: GBP 12,500 or approx.
EUR 20,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A celadon and russet jade model of a bear
Expert remark: Compare the related pose and color of the stone. Note the similar size (6 cm).




宋至明青玉留皮臥熊

中國，960-1644。熊成臥姿，頭微低，圓眼經過精心雕刻，邊緣可見毛皮，耳朵和鼻子以及尾巴和爪子的細節生動。口鼻之間有小孔可用以懸掛。表面光滑拋光，深青色玉石，帶有黃褐色紋理和斑塊。


來源：
德國私人收藏。

品相：
狀況非常好，有磨損和微小的磕痕。玉石有天然的内沁和裂隙，其中一些可能發展成細小裂紋。吊墜表面整體非常光滑。

重量：137.4克
尺寸：長 6.3 厘米


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦佳士得，2016年5月10日，lot 49
價格：GBP 12,500（相當於今日
EUR 20,500
）
描述：青玉留皮玉雕熊
專家評論：比較相近的姿勢和玉石顏色。請注意相似的尺寸(6厘米)。