Lot 125
CHINESE PALE CELADON JADE HANDLE
SHANG DYNASTY OR LATER
Auction: 15 May 2026 from 10:00 BST
Description
商或以後 青白玉柄形器
of rectangular form with one tapering side, the opposite with waisted neck and two raised bow strings
Dimensions
6.7cm high
Footnote
The purpose of jade handles such as the present lot is unclear. Some were shaped into a blade, probably used as carving tools; some were inscribed, probably served as ritual objects; some served as lingpai or ancestral insignia; and some evolved into pure ornament with holes, and covered with carved patterns.
Compare to three celadon jade handles, mid Shang dynasty - Western Zhou dynasty or later, previously in the Xianquxuan Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 5 December 2023, lot 725. Also see a pale celadon jade 'cicada' handle, early - mid Shang dynasty, previously in the Cissy and Robert Tang Collection, sold at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 8 April 2023, lot 3789.