White jade tiger, Qing dynasty

Sculpture of a tiger stretched out in repose, with its head slightly raised, its mouth aggressively showing its teeth and its ears slightly pulled back, a sign of unease at something its large eyes have observed. Fine lines on the head show the animal's coat. The forelegs are thick and strong, slightly raised, with the claws of both arms together in the middle. The tail moving over the fine coat on the back, shown in fine strokes in tufts of three, spread over the whole body. We also find a Chinese character on the tiger's forehead "王", which can be translated as King.

The carving of jade animals such as tigers or bears represents naturalism in small jade sculptures of antiquity, which could be found in imperial mausoleums from the Han Dynasty or earlier. For this reason the carving of the animal shows repose, but at the same time aggressiveness, repose as respect for the king and aggressiveness in order to protect the king. Qing Dynasty (1644–1912).

Size: 4 x 3.6 x 10.5 cm; Weight: 189 gr

Provenance: Current French private collection.  -Previous owner of lot: 92, (Carved spinach green jade vase, Qing dynasty) Auction: Asian Art Auction 29 December 2022. Darley Auctions.