A group of jade 'tiger' plaques and 'cloud' plaques, Eastern Zhou dynasty, early Spring and Autumn period | 東周春秋早期 玉雕虎形飾片及卷文雲飾片一組

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1994-2002.

1994至2002年購於香港

The present set probably served as accessories sewn on fabric. There have been a number of squared ornaments with cloud patterns excavated. However, ornaments in the shape of a tiger are rare. Compare a set of twelve squared jade plaques from the Spring and Autumn period with shallower but related carving unearthed in Xichuan county, Henan province, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], Shijiazhuang, 2005, vol. 3, pl. 70. For a comparable example of the tiger ornaments, a pendant decorated with beast mask unearthed from a early Spring and Autumn-period tomb, now in the collection of Longxian Museum, was carved with similar pattern, except that the hole was drilled at the center, published in Liu Yunhui ed., Shaanxi Chutu Dongzhou Yuqi [Eastern Zhou Dynasty Jades Unearthed in Shaanxi], Beijing, 2006, p. 45, pl. LB12.

虎形飾片中厚邊薄，呈虎面形，面陰刻淺浮雕卷雲紋，背靠頭頂有淺凹孔，雲紋長方形飾片四周出齒，正反兩面皆陰刻卷雲紋，上下兩端各有二穿孔。 

此套飾片或為織物之上縫綴的飾品，方形雲紋飾片出土較多，而虎形少見。河南省淅川縣出土一套十二件類似之春秋晚期玉牌，形制裝飾頗似，而本件雕琢更為深峻，見《中國玉器全集》，石家莊，2005年，卷3，圖版70。虎形飾片可參考陝西省隴縣圖博館收藏一件春秋早期秦國墓出土之獸面紋珮，形狀紋飾皆似，惟開孔在正中，見劉雲輝編，《陝西出土東周玉器》，北京，2006年，頁45，圖版LB12。