Description:

East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 220 CE. A striking "jiansui" scabbard slide, hand-carved from nephrite jade in a natural hue of pale celadon. The slender scabbard slide is incised with an abstract scrolling pattern intended as auspicious cloud motif and an animal mask at one end. A rectangular slat is featured on the verso for the sharp blade to pass through, while each end is slightly curved. Nephrite sword fittings like this example would have been used by high ranking nobilities. Size: 4.7" L x 0.5" W x 0.7" H (11.9 cm x 1.3 cm x 1.8 cm)

Chinese art has incorporated jade since the Neolithic period; quarries for nephrite, the formal name for one type of jade, have been found in modern-day southern Mongolia that date to ca. 4000 BCE. The stone was prized for its hardness, its beautiful coloration, and its durability. By the third millennium BCE, we know that jade had also come to be associated with immortality. Despite its hardness - a testament to the craftsmanship of early Chinese artisans - jade was used to make everything from everyday household objects and decoration to the ceremonial suits in which Han dynasty emperors were buried with the belief that jade would preserve the body and the soul for eternity.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Arts Du Monde, New York, New York, USA, before 2000

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#183710

  • Condition: Some minor abrasions and miniscule surface wear as shown, but otherwise intact and excellent with impressively preserved incised detail and smooth surfaces.

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February 9, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

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