A rare celadon jade 'figural' ornament, Late Shang dynasty | 商晚期　神人紋圓弧玉飾

Tsai Ching-Liang, Jades of Shang Dynasty, Aurora Art Museum, Taipei, 2010, pl. 119.

The present celadon jade ornament, with its warm brown alterations and slight surface calcification, is a remarkable and highly unusual example of late Shang dynasty jade carving. Skilfully worked from a curved section of jade, the stone is carved to depict an upright mythical figure or deity. The face is rendered with slanted eyes and a solemn expression, surmounted by an imposing, upright feathered crown that bends at the top, altogether creating a mysterious and awe-inspiring visual presence. Interestingly, the figure features a cicada-shaped body flanked by spread wings. These wings are detailed with typical feather motifs of the period, symbolising the figure's divine nature and likely relating to ancient concepts of spiritual transformation and rebirth.

The reverse of the ornament is equally well-conceived, divided into three distinct sections by parallel raised ridges. The central register is decorated with a classic 'fire' motif, while the upper section features elongated hair ornaments. The lower section mirrors the front with a cicada motif in a more simplified form, perfectly illustrating the cohesive front-and-back design ethos characteristic of late Shang jade craftsmanship.

For related examples, compare a closely related jade 'kneeling human' ornament from the Mid to Late Shang dynasty, illustrated in Jenny F. So, Chinese Jades from the Cissy and Robert Tang Collection, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Art Museum, Hong Kong, 2015, cat. no. 9, and later sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8 April 2023, lot 3790. Two closely related jade pendants were excavated from the tomb of the Shang consort, Fu Hao, at Anyang, the last capital of the Shang kings. The first, a ‘crowned figure’ pendant, is illustrated in Yinxu Fu Hao mu [Tomb of Lady Hao at Yinxu in Anyang], Beijing, 1980, p. 154, fig. 81:4, which displays its arms and legs in similarly bent positions, with its haunch accentuated by a circular cross symbol. The second, a standing figure showing the same symmetrical wing-like extensions at the top of the head, is illustrated in ibid., p. 154, fig. 81:6. See also a white jade 'figural' ornament of the late Shang dynasty, excavated in 1990 from the tomb of Guo Zhong at the Guo State Cemetery in Sanmenxia, Henan province, now in the Sanmenxia Guo State Museum, illustrated in Nanjing Museum, ed., Yurun zhonghua: zhongguo yuqi de Wannian shishi tujuan [An Epic of Chinese Jade for 10000 Years], Nanjing, 2023, p. 134.

出版

蔡慶良，《商代玉器》，震旦藝術博物館，台北，2010年，圖版119

本品青綠玉質，局部受沁呈褐色，器表微微有白化現象，古樸神秘，為商代晚期玉雕之珍罕佳作。創作者巧妙運用長弧形玉料，將其雕琢成一直豎的神人形象。神人雙眼斜上、面部端凝，頭頂羽冠向上挺立彎折，共同營造出神秘威懾的視覺效果。尤為特別的是，神人具備蟬形身軀，兩側開展羽翅，羽翅皆以當時典型的羽紋進行刻劃，彰顯了神人特殊的神性，此設計或與當時羽化再生的信仰觀念息息相關。

玉飾背面紋飾同樣考究，以平行凸稜分割成三段。中央琢磨填飾「火紋」；上方為細長的髮飾，乃當時神人頭部常用的設計模式；下方則與正面呼應，飾以較為省略的蟬紋形象，此佈局完美契合了商代晚期正反兩面呼應的設計概念。

參考相近作例，可比較一件商代中至晚期玉跪姿神人飾，著錄於蘇芳淑，《玉澤恆輝：喜聞過齋藏玉》，香港中文大學文物館，香港，2015年，編號9，後售於香港蘇富比2023年4月8日，編號3790。另可參考殷墟婦好墓出土之兩件玉飾：其一為玉冠人飾，著錄於《殷墟婦好墓》，北京，1980年，頁154，圖81:4，其四肢彎曲姿態及臀部之圓形十字紋飾與本品有異曲同工之妙；其二為玉立人飾，頭頂同樣帶有對稱的羽翼狀延伸設計，見同書，頁154，圖81:6。此外，河南省三門峽市虢國墓地虢仲墓1990年出土一件商晚期白玉神人飾，現藏三門峽市虢國博物館，亦可資比較，著錄於南京博物院編，《玉潤中華：中國玉器的萬年史詩圖卷》，南京，2023年，頁134。