TWO EXTREMELY RARE CALCIFIED CELADON JADE FIGURES OF STANDING LADIES WESTERN HAN DYNASTY

each finely rendered as a standing lady with elbows bent and hands held before the waist, portrayed dressed in a long robe flaring near the hem, one rendered with the left hand concealed in the right sleeve and the right hand resting on the left sleeve, depicted with her hair neatly tied into a knot secured by a hairpin with a short curling end falling behind the head, the other with the left hand held before the chest and the right placed on the left sleeve, further depicted with hair arranged into a coiled bun above a pony-tail, the stone of a mottled white colour with variegated brown calcification

The Hei-Chi Collection.

Jiang Tao and Liu Yunhui, eds, Jades from Hei-Chi Collection II, Beijing, 2012, pp. 70-71.

Good condition, with typical calcification to the stone and other general surface wear. Please note the colour of the stone is slightly darker in reality.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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These two standing figurines are worked from white jade with light brown skin and isolated spotted areas. Slightly different in height, the figurines both have elegant faces and tranquil expressions, and wear typical Han-style robes with right lapels and fastened around the waist with a sash. One wears her hair in a bun ending in a small tail, and the other wears hers loosely and holds her arms underneath her sleeves up to her abdomen. These spirited pieces were expertly executed in assured and robust carving.

Excavated Han dynasty jade figurines tend to be multipiece and small, commonly depicted as dancers. This pair of relatively large standing figurines carved in the round is very rare; most extant standing figurines from the period are made of polychrome ceramics or wood.

An individual jade figure of a lady in the Simon Kwan Collection was included in the exhibition Chinese Archaic Jades from the Kwan Collection, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1994, cat. no. 236. Smaller in size than the current figures, it nonetheless shares the same distinct standing posture.