Jade. China, Han dynasty, 2nd century BC龍紋玉劍首 - 漢代, 公元前2世紀

Diameter 7.9 cm直徑 7.9 厘米

This lovely, sculptural object in white jade with a writhing dragon carved in relief was used as a pommel to decorate the top handle of a sword. Weapon fittings in jade developed during the Eastern Zhou period and reached their climax under the Han dynasty, when entire sets made of several jades were used to embellish the swords of the aristocrats.

The top of the pommel is decorated with a sinuous dragon amidst stylized clouds, rendered slightly in relief, as the comma-shaped patterns carved along the border: one of these is ‘bitten’ by the four-limbed, long-tailed dragon. The underside of the pommel is decorated with a slightly raised pattern formed by two long-crested bird heads amongst stylized clouds that are arranged around a central perforation where the top of the sword handle was inserted.

This highly polished pommel is carved from a quality of creamy white jade with limited iron inclusions that create beautiful patches of mixed russet, black and orange.

Literature comparison/Archaeological sites: An oval pommel with similar motifs is published in F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, no.319.

Expertise: Prof. Dr. Filippo Salviati

From a Luxembourg collection盧森堡舊藏

All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and described by Prof. Fillipo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.