A YELLOW AND RUSSET MINIATURE 'PIG DRAGON' PENDANT, ZHULONG, MING DYNASTY China, c. 16^th-17^th century or earlier. Of iconic form with a coiled body and superbly rendered head, subtly detailed with bulging eyes, a wrinkled snout and flared nostrils, the slit below the sealed lips terminated before meeting the central perforation, the neck drilled for suspension. The translucent stone of a yellowish green tone with black specks, dark and light russet patches.

Provenance: From the private collection of Irene and Wolfgang Zacke (1942-2022). The couple has been active in the art trade for well over half a century and were one of the first in Austria to offer Asian works of art in their gallery, starting in 1968. Since the late 1980s, they have been collecting ancient Chinese jades, building an extensive and multiply published collection over the decades.
Condition: Excellent condition with some old wear, and possibly microscopic nicks here and there. The stone with natural inclusions.

Weight: 9.0 g
Dimensions: Length 3.0 cm

Pig dragons, or zhulong, are zoomorphic forms with a pig-like head and an elongated limbless body coiled around to the head. They were first produced by the Hongshan culture. Along with the same culture's jade eagles, they often featured as grave goods. Pig bones have been found interred alongside humans at Hongshan burial sites, suggesting that the animal had some ritual significance.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 29 May 2019, lot 608
Price: HKD 37,500 or approx. EUR 5,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: Two archaistic celadon jade carvings, Ming dynasty or earlier
Expert remark: Compare subject, form and material. Note the lot consists of two jades.



明代黃玉帶皮小豬龍
中國，約十六至十七世紀或更早。玉豬龍造型渾厚，身體捲曲，首尾相接；面部雕琢逼真，神態炯炯有神；耳朵肥厚，眼睛大而誇張，豬吻上翹。黃綠色的半透明玉石，帶有黑色斑點、深色和赤褐色斑塊。

來源：Irene與 Wolfgang Zacke (1942-2022年) 私人收藏 。自1968 年起，這對夫婦活躍在藝術貿易界，並且是奧地利最早在其畫廊中提供亞洲藝術品的人之一。1980 年代後期，他們一直在收集中國古代玉器，幾十年來建立了極富多樣性的收藏。
品相：狀況極好，有一些磨損，大面積微小划痕。玉料含有天然內沁。

重量：9.0 克
尺寸：長3.0 厘米

玉豬龍是紅山文化的典型器，是用以代表神靈和先祖的圖騰物，且大多出現在墓葬當中，且為有身份地位的墓主所有。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2019年5月29日，lot 608
價格：HKD 37,500（相當於今日EUR 5,000）
描述：明或更早青玉豬龍及青玉琮
專家評論：比較主題、外型和材質。請注意此玉組有兩件玉。