A finely carved jade 'Three Guardians' scabbard slide, Western Han...

Property from an Asian private collection
A finely carved jade 'Three Guardians' scabbard slide,
Western Han dynasty
亞洲私人收藏
西漢 玉雕三靈紋劍璏

14 cm

Condition Report:
There are areas of restorations which glows under the UV light, including a small section to the right forehand and the tail of the dragon, and area around the middle section of the slide.
部分區域在紫光燈下見熒光反應，應為修補，包括大螭龍右前腳及尾部，以及整個劍璏之中間部分。

Catalogue Note:
Superbly carved in high relief depicting the 'Three Guardians of Directions', the Blue Dragon in the centre, with a bifurcated tail, confronted by the Red Bird and White Tiger, the present scabbard slide shows remarkable details, representing the mastery of Han-dynasty jade carvers. A similar scabbard slide but carved with two dragons, dating mid-Western Han dynasty, was excavated in Hongtushan, Shandong province, illustrated in Yang Boda, Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], vol. 4, Hebei, 2005, no. 122.

Provenance:
Acquired in Hong Kong prior to 2000.

2000年前購於香港