A RARE CARVED BONE FIGURE OF A TIGER

LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY BC

Details

A RARE CARVED BONE FIGURE OF A TIGER
LATE SHANG DYNASTY, 11TH CENTURY BC
The hollow, or partially hollow, figure is well carved in the round as a tiger standing with head facing forward and tail curled to form a loop. The head is well delineated and there are bands of hooked scrolls on the back, chevrons on the sides and scale-like markings on the belly. The bone has a warm patina, and there is a small patch of cuprite encrustation on one side.
4 3/8 in. (11.1 cm.) long, fitted box

Provenance

The Hardy Collection of Early Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art from the Sze Yuan Tang; Christies New York, 21 September 1995, lot 129.
Fong Chow (1923-2012) Collection, New York.

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Lot Essay

Another free-standing figure of a tiger carved from bone, but not as elaborate as the present example, is illustrated by M. Hearn, Ancient Chinese Art: The Ernest Erickson Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1987, no. 116.

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