Chinese jade goes on show in New York

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To complement the show of Chinese Jade currently on view at Throckmorton Fine Art in New York, Dr Elizabeth Childs-Johnsonwill give a talk on:
'The Beauty of Jade: The Warring States Period and Han Dynasty, c.475 BCE – 220 CE'
at Throckmorton Fine Art at 3p.m. on Saturday 14 March

This was a period in which an unprecedented quantity and variety of jade objects, often of very high quality, were produced in China.

In the preface to the catalogue for his current ‘Warring States Period and Han Dynasty Jades’ show, New York dealer Spencer Throckmorton says….

The 75 archaic small-scale Chinese jade carvings on view are nothing less than sculptures, works of art remarkable not just for their extraordinary workmanship but also because they embody the vast and complex field of Chinese cosmology and mythology.

The collection was painstakingly assembled over the past 15 years purchased from private collections in Hong Kong, Europe and the United States.  A significant number of pieces are from the collections of John Maxwell (who lived in Richmond, Virginia) and Warren Cox (who resides in New York City).  The pieces have been carefully cleaned, revealing their sublime beauty and refined elegance. 

All of the carvings have been independently studied and vetted by two accomplished scholars of Chinese jade:  Mr Gu Fang and Dr Elizabeth Childs-Johnson. 

The pieces were also thoroughly examined by an expert in ancient stone carving, Mr Frank Aon of Orenda Laboratory.

The jade of the sculptures exhibited ranges in color from white to red to brown and green.  The carvings are enigmatic, but are evidently court pieces, and much of what is portrayed is tied to the symbols and motifs of divine rule in early China.  These jade carvings were found in tombs that were haphazardly excavated throughout the 20th century (and sometimes even earlier) and found their way to private collections.

According to Spencer Throckmorton:

The artistic explosion that took place during the Warring States and Han periods  is now being re-examined as interest has soared in learning more about the art of working jade during the early years. It was then that social and economic upheaval led to cross-cultural stimulation and an interchange of artistic media that climaxed in new artistic themes and combinations of images.

This show is now on view at Throckmorton Fine Art

Third Floor, 145 East 57th Street, New York

Daily 11a.m–5p.m.

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