A rare set of fourteen jade ornaments and ‘dancer’ pendants, Western Han dynasty | 西漢　玉舞人珮飾成組十四件

Teng Shu-p’ing, Collectors’ Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Palace Museum, Taipei, 1995, cat. no. 74.

Tiffany Chen, Selected Works of Jade, Aurora Art Museum, Taipei, 2003, pl. 164.

Tsai Ching-Liang, Jades of Han Dynasty, Aurora Art Museum, Taipei, 2005, pl. 108.

This exceptionally rare and extensive assemblage is distinguished by its pair of exquisitely carved jade ‘dancer’ pendants, which serve as the focal point of the fourteen-piece set. The dancers are captured in mid-motion, their bodies gracefully contoured with swaying hips and slender waists. They are dressed in traditional robes with a right lapel crossing over the left, secured by a thick belt. The dynamic poses with one elongated sleeve elegantly thrown over the head and the other sweeping across the abdomen and trailing downward, perfectly encapsulate the famous "flying sleeves and twisting waists" (qiaoxiu zheyao) dance that captivated the early imperial courts. The accompanying components, including the central cylindrical bead, the six plaques finely incised with stylised beast-mask motifs, and the five lower ornaments, all feature multiple perforations. This suggests they were either strung together as an elaborate pectoral ornament Yuzupei or symmetrically sewn onto a luxurious textile or funerary shroud.

During the Western Han dynasty, dance was a highly esteemed courtly entertainment and a prised accomplishment for aristocratic women. Historical texts frequently extol the captivating performances of imperial consorts, such as Lady Qi, the favourite of Emperor Gaozu, who was renowned for her mastery of the "twisting waist" dance, and Empress Zhao Feiyan (Flying Swallow), whose movements were said to be so light she could dance on the palm of a hand.

Jade dancer pendants of this early, highly detailed type are exceptionally rare and represent the zenith of Han dynasty jade craftsmanship. They were typically reserved for the highest echelons of society. A comparable, though less extensive, assemblage featuring a central jade dancer was excavated from the early 2nd century BCE tomb of the Nanyue King's primary consort in Guangzhou, see Peter Lam ed., Jades from the Tomb of the King of Nanyue, Hong Kong, 1991, p.30, fig.10. See also a closely related individual dancer pendantfrom the Cissy and Robert Tang Collection, illustrated in Jenny F. So, Chinese Jades from the Cissy and Robert Tang Collection, Hong Kong, 2015, no.19. Other closely related individual dancer pendants of similar high quality include three examples in the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. purportedly from the royal tombs at Jincun, Luoyang, see Thomas Lawton, Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity 480-222BC, Washington, 1982, nos. 77-79. Compare also an early Western Han example excavated at Fenghuanggang, Guangzhou, illustrated in Gu Fang, Zhongguo chutu yuqi quanji [The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China], Vol. 11, Beijing, 2005, p.121.

The present set, with its complete array of matching subsidiary plaques, offers a remarkably comprehensive glimpse into the opulent adornment and vibrant court culture of the Western Han elite.

展覽

鄧淑蘋，《羣玉別藏》，故宮博物院，台北，1995年，編號74

出版

陳臻儀，《古玉選粹》，震旦藝術博物館，台北，2003年，圖版164

蔡慶良，《漢代玉器》，震旦藝術博物館，台北，2005年，圖版108

此組西漢玉飾共計十四件，形制豐富，其中最為引人矚目者當屬一對雕工精湛的玉舞人。舞人呈對稱之姿，身段婀娜，細腰微折，生動捕捉了舞者翩翩起舞的瞬間。其身著交領右衽長衣，腰間繫帶，一袖高舉過頭，另一袖橫過腹部垂拂於地，完美展現了漢代宮廷極為盛行的「翹袖折腰之舞」。除舞人外，此組玉飾尚包含一件圓柱形玉勒、六件獸面紋的玉佩，以及五件陰線刻紋玉飾。所有組件邊緣均帶有穿孔，推測其原為一組華麗的組玉珮，或對稱綴縫於貴族服飾之上。

在西漢時期，舞蹈是宮廷宴飲中極受歡迎的娛樂活動，亦是貴族女子引以為傲的才藝。史籍中屢見對後宮佳麗曼妙舞姿的讚美，如漢高祖寵妃戚夫人「善為翹袖折腰之舞」，以及漢成帝皇后趙飛燕「身輕若燕，能作掌上舞」。

此類早期且細節刻畫入微的玉舞人極為罕見，代表了漢代玉雕工藝的巔峰，僅見於最高等級的貴族墓葬中。廣州南越王墓右夫人（公元前二世紀早期）墓中曾出土一組以玉舞人為中心的組珮，可資比較，見林業強主編，《南越王墓玉器》，香港，1991年，頁30，圖10。其他品質相近的玉舞人單品，可參考喜聞過齋藏一件圓雕雙面工的戰國晚期玉舞人，見蘇芳淑，《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19。頁。美國華盛頓弗利爾美術館所藏之三件，傳出自洛陽金村大墓，見Thomas Lawton，《Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity 480-222BC》，華盛頓，1982年，編號77-79。亦可比較廣州鳳凰崗西漢早期墓葬出土之一例，著錄於古方主編，《中國出土玉器全集》，第11卷，北京，2005年，頁121。本拍品包含成套的附屬玉佩，極為難得，為我們一窺西漢高等級貴族的華麗佩飾與鮮活的宮廷文化，提供了極為全面的實物例證。