8.5 cm. wide (3 3/8 in.)

Three-dimensional jade representations of animals dating to the Han dynasty are most commonly found in the form of horses, sheep, bixie, bears or buffalos and are likely to have been intended for use as weights or fittings. Jade carvings of ram can first be seen during the Shang dynasty but seem to have disappeared for much of the ensuing Western Zhou dynasty until the Han dynasty when they reappeared, usually carved in the round as with the present example. The word for sheep, yang, is close to the word for ‘auspicious’, xiang and the sheep or ram is therefore symbolic of auspiciousness. The ram is also a traditional symbol of filial piety, kneeling to receive milk from the mother.
The powerful carving and fine material used in the present figure suggest that it was made for someone of significant importance. Only a small number of comparable carvings of ram appear to have been published. A pair of rams in the Tianjin Museum are illustrated in Tainjin Bowuguan Cang Yu, Wenwu Chuban She, 2012, p. 102. The ram, dated to the Eastern Han, are carved by using a very similar technique with short incised lines delineating the fur along the front of its neck and haunches. Only the rounded rendering of the eyes differs slightly from the more oval eyes found on the present carving. Compare, also, a celadon jade carving of a ram in the Beijing Palace Museum, also dated to the Eastern Han, illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan Cangpin Da Xi, Yuqi, vol. 4, Beijing, 2001, p. 180, no. 237.

Price estimate:
HKD: 300,000-500,000
USD: 38,700-64,500

Auction Result:
Withdrawn