A RARE CELADON JADE FIGURE OF AN EAGLE IN FLIGHT WESTERN HAN DYNASTY | 西漢 青白玉鷹

Naturalistically modelled in the form of an eagle with alert eyes and a hooked beak, the present jade carving illustrates the unsurpassed craftsmanship of the Han dynasty artisans. The long feathers of its wings, neatly arranged in layers and outlined by subtle incisions, can be differentiated from the plumage indicated by small 'v' on its back. A very similar depiction of feathers can be found on the famous Western Han dynasty jade bird unearthed near the mausoleum of Emperor Yuandi (r. 48-33 BC), Weicheng, Xianyang, now preserved in the Xianyang Museum (Tan Shengguang, ed., Everlasting like the Heavens: The Cultures and Arts of the Zhou, Qin, Han, and Tang, Shanghai, 2019, p. 368). Although closely related to the excavated example in terms of size, form and decoration, the present carving is perforated, suggesting that it might have been used as an ornament, such as a staff finial.

For other Han dynasty jade birds, see two included in the exhibition Chinese Jade Animals, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, 1996, cat. nos 53-54; and another one, included in Teng Shuping, One Hundred Jades from the Lantien Shanfang Collection, Taipei, 1995, pl. 90. 

玉鷹銳目、勾喙，翅膀排列整齊，線條剛柔並濟，卻有序不紊，背上羽毛則著重輕嫩纖細，靈動如生，展現漢代玉匠神工。咸陽渭城漢元帝（公元前48-33年在位）渭陵建築遺址出土西漢玉鷹，舉世知名，現藏咸陽博物院；圖見談晟廣編，《與天久長：周秦漢唐文化與藝術》，上海，2019年，頁368。觀其尺寸、造型、藝風，均與此極為相近，惟此鷹有隧孔，應乃佩飾，或為杖首。

其他漢代玉鳥，可參見《中國肖生玉雕》展出兩例，香港藝術館，香港，1996年，編號53-54。另見一例，載於鄧淑蘋，《藍田山房藏玉百選》，台北，1995年，圖版90。