A rare white and russet jade 'phoenix' pendant


Western Han DynastyBoldly carved in openwork with a sinuous chi dragon and phoenix surrounding the she, the 'archer's thumb ring', with further incised details, the stone of a white tone with some dark brown inclusions to the edges, box. 6.3cm (2 1/2in) long. (2).
|西漢 白玉螭鳳紋韘形佩Compare with a similar jade 'phoenix' pendant, Eastern Han Dynasty, in the Palace Museum collection, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 4 Han, Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, Beijing, 2011, p.204, no.259. 白玉質，局部受鐵沁，整器以鏤雕、陰刻手法琢磨螭和鳳紋匍匐於雞心兩側，眉眼、羽髪細部以陰線淺刻，線條延伸至佩身，正反皆然。雞心穿孔原形，正面突出，邊緣銳利，背面略凹，打磨圓潤。韘本為實用器，乃古代射箭時戴在拇指作扣弦用。漢代開始成為裝飾品，又稱雞心佩、心形佩。可參考一件北京故宮藏東漢螭鳳紋韘形佩，見《故宮博物院藏品大系玉器篇4》，北京，2011年，頁204，編號259。