Pair of yellow jade door knockers ‘Phoenix and Beasts’, Han dynasty

A pair of finely carved doorknockers in yellow jade with areas of brown patina. Each piece has a main structure in the form of a shield with a sinuous profile, decorated in high relief with a central winged anthropomorphic motif, reminiscent of a stylised phoenix, flanked by depictions of mythological beasts and scrolling elements. The lower part of each knocker is completed by a movable ring, richly carved with intertwined archaic cloud and dragon motifs. The jade work is smoothly polished in places and rougher in others due to surface alteration of the material, probably due to the passage of time. On the reverse is a central fastening button and irregular perforations suggesting a functional method of anchoring. Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD) or later.

Sizes: 15 x 2.2 x 11.2; 14.6 x 2.1 x 11.1 cm

Weight: 262 g; 270 g

Provenance:

· Collection of Tommy Lam, Hong Kong, from 1980