A MOTTLED GRAY JADE ‘KNEELING FIGURE’ PENDANT, TANG TO MING DYNASTYChina, c. 8th-16th century. The figure rendered kneeling with the hands resting on the knees, the face looking directly ahead, portrayed with straight brows, large eyes above a broad nose, flat lips, flanked by ears in the form of C-scrolls. The translucent stone of a pale gray tone with darker gray and white inclusions, and dark specks.Provenance: From the collection of David Taylor, and thence by descent within the Taylor family. David Taylor (1876-1958) was a notable British businessman who lived in Belfast and owned variousmercial buildings along with a substantial portfolio of stocks and shares. During his travels to China in the early 20th century, he acquired many jades, including the present lot. His grandfather, Sir David Taylor, was born in 1815 in Perth, Scotland, and moved to Belfast in 1842, serving as its mayor in 1867 and for two consecutive terms in 1883 and 1884.Condition: Very good condition with extensive old wear, signs of weathering and erosion, and microscopic nicks here and there. The stone with natural fissures and inclusions. The flat head is pierced with two apertures for suspension, which may be of a later date than the figure.Weight: 39.6 gDimensions: Height 4.2 cmThe earliest kneeling figures carved from jade date back to the Shang dynasty and are extremely rare. Examples carved with related features have been found at the tomb of Lady Hao, dated to around 1200 BC. While the identification and function of kneeling figures is a matter of speculation, their rarity suggests that “they are likely to have been extremely valuable and to have offered Fu Hao some sort of power or access to power.” (Jessica Rawson, Mysteries of Ancient China, London, 1996, p. 108).Literatureparison:Five kneeling figures from the tomb of Fu Hao are illustrated in Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang, Beijing, 1980, pls. 129 and 130, together with two related jade heads, pl. 131, no. 1 and 2.pare a related figure in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, and included in the exhibition Ancient Chinese Jades, Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, 1975, cat. no. 121.pare a jade kneeling figure from the collection of Jay C. Leff, sold in Sotheby’s New York, 25 October 1975, lot 98.pare a seated figure with knees raised, illustrated in Teng Shu P’ing, One Hundred Jades from the Lantien Shanfang collection, Taipei, 1995, pl. 37, together with a jade head, pl. 36.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Christie’s New York, 20 September 2013, lot 1674Price: USD 16,250 or approx.EUR 19,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A rare greyish-green and brown jade figure of a kneeling foreigner, Tang/Ming dynasty, 7th-16th centuryExpert remark:pare the related figural motif, the color of the jade, and the flattened head with pierced suspe