Suspending a translucent nephrite jade of yellowish green tone, carved with a Guanyin, the material suffused with a small orangy patch showing the skin of rough, surmounted by a similarly-coloured nephrite jade bead of lotus motif, to a necklace of decorative beads, length approximately 590mm. Pendant measuring approximately 62.33 x 38.81 x 13.45mm.
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Nephrite Jade Guanyin Pendent Ornament
Southwestern yellow nephrite jade owes its fame to the basin area of Linxia of Gansu province in the southwestern region of China, where the stone originates. Its long history can be traced back to the Qijia culture of the Neolithic period. The best of such jade bears a leek-yellow colour. Though smaller in size, they are relatively harder than others, with good lustre and usually a white surface layer. However, the surface colour would turn yellow in direct contact with human skin, and gradually deepen into shades of red. Compared to jade mined from other places, southwestern yellow nephrites are much rarer due to their extremely low outputs, which makes them a perennial favourite with jade lovers.
This season, Tiancheng International is proud to present a Nephrite Jade Guanyin Pendent Ornament (Lot 171) carved with Southwestern yellow jade. Frontally, it consists of the close-up feature of the Guanyin bodhisattva, created by deep relief carving, in which her benign expression and grace are brought to life. This is deftly juxtaposed to a celestial lion, noted for its animated and awe-inspiring demeanour. The jade skin is carved with depictions of magpies, a symbol of auspiciousness. Parts of the ornament are also adorned with distant images of mountain ranges and auspicious clouds, realised through shallow relief carving. The back is decorated with motifs of auspicious fauna, to evoke a touch of refined elegance.