A RARE ARCHAIC BEIGE JADE SWORD GUARD
Western Han Dynasty
Of lozenge section, carved on both sides with stylised taotie masks, a small section of the iron blade remaining, the stone of warm amber-honey tone.
5cm (2in) long.

Footnotes:

Please note this Lot is to be sold at No Reserve. 本拍品不設底價

西漢 玉劍格

Provenance: J.T. Tai & Co., New York, 1964
Dr Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987), acc.no.J842, acquired from the above in 1964
Christie's New York, 16 September 2010, lot 972 (part lot)

Published, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Summer Exhibition, London, 2011, no.77.

來源：紐約古董商戴潤齋
亞瑟·M.賽克勒博士（1913-1987）舊藏，編號J842，於1964年購自上者
紐約佳士得，2010年9月16日，拍品編號972（部分）

展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《夏季展覽》，倫敦，2011年，編號77

See a very similar jade sword guard, Han dynasty, illustrated by J.C.S.Lin, The Immortal Stone: Chinese Jades from the Neolithic period to the twentieth century, Cambridge, 2009, p.45, no.32.

In rare surviving condition.

The steel remains of weapon within the central aperture, in the course of oxidising to rust, has borne general expansion producing the result of cracking open the jade guard into five main parts, split vertically. The self-same oxidisation and decay has symbiotically fused the five parts into a new whole, thus saving the integrity of the piece.

Due to the mottled nature of the stone occasional very minor blemishes and chips where naturally occurring inclusions and striations make their appearance on surface especially on upper surfaces.

Old museum? number to base in red enamel.