A BLACK JADE FIGURE OF A PHOENIX MING DYNASTY |

well worked in the form of a phoenix with its head sharply turned backwards, the rounded body of the mythical bird skilfully accentuated with a pair of stylised bifurcated wings and terminating in a long curled tail, the lustrously patinated black stone highlighted with pale russet mottles and a celadon patch

This charming figure, in its colour and form, encapsulates Ming-dynasty animal carvings continued from the Song repertoire. Such representations of recumbent birds allowed the craftsmen to make full use of the contours of the jade pebbles to create whimsical forms with minimal waste. Fashioned with its head genially turned back and plumage rendered in archaistic scrolls and complimentary curves, the present piece lends its inspiration from Song prototypes, such as one exhibited in Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. no. 103. The variegated dark hues of the pebble, execution of the phoenix’s eyes, beak and wattles are closely related to an example also dated to the Ming dynasty, sold in our London rooms, 16th May 2012, lot 217.