Since the autumn of 2019, Christie's Hong Kong has consecutively hosted four dedicated auctions showcasing the esteemed jade collection of Taiwanese dealer Chang Wei-Hwa. These sales combined featured approximately 280 pieces of archaic jade that incited fervent bidding wars, culminating in a total sales volume of HK$265 million (US$34 million) and catapulting archaic jade into the limelight of the Chinese collecting world.
Fast forward to 2024, Christie's Hong Kong has elevated its offerings by unveiling 75 lots of remarkable archaic jades from the renowned Lantien Shanfang, a collection that was formed under the aid of Chang Wei-Hwa. Notably, all 75 pieces were exhibited in the "1999 Collectors' Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades" held at the Taipei Palace Museum, and have never been seen by the public since then.
Held during Christie's first-ever Asia Week in Hong Kong, the single-owner collection sale saw an overwhelming response from collectors and connoisseurs, with every single piece sold, many far above estimates, eventually realizing over HK$214 million (US$27.7 million).
The leading lot, a jade openwork "longevity" bi disc dating to the Mid-Eastern Han dynasty, for instance, was hammered for HK$20.5 million, 20 times its pre-sale estimate of HK$100,000. Likewise, the second highest-selling lot, a dragon-head ladle, achieved a hammer price of HK$18 million, more than 36 times its low estimate.
Christie's star auctioneer Liang-lin Chen at the present sale
Hsu Chou-li, the owner of the Lantien Shanfang collection
Chang Wei-Hwa was instrumental in helping the formation of the Lantien Shanfang collection
The Lantien Shanfang was owned by Hsu Chou-li, the second-generation leader of Yungtay Engineering Co. Ltd., one of the two major Taiwanese elevator companies.
In 1966, Hsu Chou-li's father established Yungtay Engineering as a distributor of Hitachi elevators in Taiwan. Over time, the company diversified, creating its own brand and overseeing the full spectrum of operations from development and sales to installation and maintenance, eventually emerging as Taiwan's premier elevator brand.
Yongtay made its debut on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 1989 and ventured into the mainland Chinese market in 1993 with the establishment of Shanghai Yungtay. The business was officially passed to the eldest son, Hsu Chou-li, in 1999, the same year his jade collection was exhibited at the Taipei Palace Museum. Recent years witnessed a struggle for family ownership within Yongtay, and in 2022, the company transitioned into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, becoming the talk of the town in Taiwan.
Lot 1071 | A jade openwork 'longevity' bi
Mid-Eastern Han Dynasty, circa 89-144 AD
Height: 17.3 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 14 October 1994
Estimate: HK$1,000,000 - 2,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$20,500,000
Sold: HK$25,180,000
Jade discs of this type, traditionally called bi, first emerged in the Liangzhu culture (circa 3300 - 2200 BC) in Neolithic China, often plain and undecorated. While the reason behind their creation is now lost to the sands of time, they were found only in the most lavish of tombs alongside other jade implements, hinting at their prestigious status and significant burial function.
As the centuries rolled on and new kingdoms and dynasties rose and fell, the bi disc remained a mysterious symbol of spiritual energy and political power, playing a significant role in ritual ceremonies and elite burials.
As recorded in the famous Confucian ritual text Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou, circa 300 BC), of the six jade implements used for ritual ceremonies to Heaven, Earth, and the four directions, the bi disc was reserved for offering rituals to Heaven. They were also used in various ceremonies, and the smaller ones would have been worn by noblemen as pendants.
The back of the present lot
While jade discs continued to play an important ritual role well into the Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 220), they also began to develop a more abstract role as symbols of wealth and power.
As lapidary technology continued to improve, members of the elite began to demand increasingly refined jade designs to best highlight their status and nobility. Beginning in the Zhou dynasty with the incorporation of small spirals, lattices, and "grain" designs across the surface of the bi, artisans continued to produce ever finer pieces for their wealthy patrons.
A far cry from the unadorned disc of the Neolithic period, jade bi discs from the Han dynasty incorporated richly detailed finals of vast and complex designs, and there was more variety in both patterns and motifs. The present lot, for instance, is decorated with a "nipple" pattern. Two auspicious beasts, likely felines, are intricately carved in high relief, flanking the characters "延年" (Yannian; translated as longevity) etched between them.
Han Dynasty jade carvings embellished with auspicious inscriptions, akin to this one, are exceedingly rare discoveries, whether within public institutions or private collections. It is known that Lantien Shanfang probably owns another piece with the same inscription of "延年", while the Taipei Palace Museum houses one with another inscription meaning happiness; both pieces date to the Eastern Han dynasty.
Jade bi disc of "Chang Le" | Collection of Taipei Palace Museum
Lot 1068 | An extremely rare white jade dragon-head ladel
Late Western Han Dynasty - Eastern Han Dynasty, circa 86 BC-220 AD
Length: 16.8 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 2 November 1994
Estimate: HK$500,000 - 800,000
Hammer Price: HK$18,000,000
Sold: HK$22,155,000
Archaeological research reveals that as early as the Neolithic period, China witnessed the emergence of dining spoons or ladles, primarily fashioned from animal bones. These primitive utensils often sported small holes at the handle's end for threading cords, aiding in their portability.
As time advanced, materials such as copper, jade, and others were utilized for crafting these implements, and it was in the Western Han dynasty that the Chinese term for spoons was coined. Notably, spoons and ladles were not distinctly classified in ancient times, allowing for their interchangeable use.
Of particular significance about the present white jade ladle is its substantial size, measuring nearly 17 cm in length, rendering it the largest and highest-quality white jade spoon known from the Han Dynasty. A comparable animal-head jade spoon from the Han Dynasty unearthed in the Luoyang region shares similar proportions and curves to this lot but measures a mere 8 cm in length.
The jade spoon displays a subtle S-shape, with graceful and harmonious curves that flow naturally. The slender handle gently arcs downwards; at the end of it is a dragon head decoration. Testament to the remarkable craftsmanship of the artisans of the time, the dragon head exhibits round, penetrating eyes, its mouth crafted with outward lips and whiskers below, forming a simple yet vibrant image.
Lot 1066 | A highly important and superbly carved turquoise bixie
Western Han Dynasty, circa 206-8 BC
Length: 10.2 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 2 November 1994
Estimate: HK$5,000,000 - 7,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$17,000,000
Sold: HK$20,945,000
Moving away from the stylized depictions of animals in the Bronze Age of China, artisans of the Han dynasty developed a more naturalistic approach to representing mythical creatures, and across artistic mediums. It was during this period that jade carvings of miraculous creature bixie, meaning "warding off the wicked", flourished.
Inspired by prototypes from West Asia and Eurasia, bixie is a powerful beast based on the imagery of a lion but has the spirit of a fierce tiger. The ancient Chinese believed that the ferocity of lions and tigers could chase misfortunes away, therefore they were frequently used to guard gateways or spirit ways.
What makes this bixie stand out is its material: turquoise, and it is the largest known and most exquisitely crafted of its kind from the Han Dynasty. Turquoise has a long history of being mined and utilized by various regional civilizations, dating back to the Neolithic period. Over the span of more than two millennia, turquoise was primarily utilized in inlay form, serving as supplementary embellishments for ceremonial and decorative metalwork. Independently carved pieces, like the present bixie, are exceptionally rare.
Even in rare cases of standalone animal carvings, such as those discovered in the famous tombs of Fu Hao of the Shang dynasty and King Mu of Zhongshan during the Eastern Han dynasty, these artifacts were typically small in scale and featured relatively simple carvings; until the Han Dynasty, there were no known examples as vivid and intricately carved as this jade bixie.
Other Highlight Lots:
Lot 1015 | An extremely rare white jade 'ancestral-mask' carving
Shijiahe culture - Xia Dynasty, circa 2500-1600 BC
Length: 8.6 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 15 December 1994
Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,500,000
Hammer Price: HK$13,000,000
Sold: HK$16,105,000
Lot 1067 | A jade carving of a bixie and winged immortal
Late Western Han - Early Eastern Zhou Dynasty, circa 86 BC-AD 88
Length: 5.5 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 2 November 1994
Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,500,000
Hammer Price: HK$9,500,000
Sold: HK$11,870,000
Lot 1053 | A large jade sectioned 'dragon' belt hook
Late Warring States - Early Western Han Dynasty, circa 300-141 BC
Length: 19 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 15 May 1997
Estimate: HK$300,000 - 500,000
Hammer Price: HK$7,600,000
Sold: HK$9,571,000
Lot 1031 | A very rare small yellow jade carving of a young phoenix
Early Western Zhou Dynasty, circa 1050-950 BC
Length: 2.2 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 2 April 1992
Estimate: HK$200,000 - 300,000
Hammer Price: HK$7,000,000
Sold: HK$8,820,000
Lot 1007 | A very rare jade carving of an embryonic mythical animal
Hongshan culture, circa 3900-3000 BC
Height: 8.6 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 4 October 1995
Estimate: HK$300,000 - 500,000
Hammer Price: HK$6,300,000
Sold: HK$7,938,000
Lot 1069 | A white jade ear cup
Late Warring State period - Early Western Han Dynasty, circa 300-141 BC
Length: 8.2 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 2 November 1994
Estimate: HK$800,000 - 1,200,000
Hammer Price: HK$6,000,000
Sold: HK$7,560,000
Lot 1016 | A jade crowned figure
Late Shang Dynasty - Early Western Zhou Dynasty, circa 1300-950 BC
Height: 10.3 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 6 March 1995
Estimate: HK$300,000 - 500,000
Hammer Price: HK$5,000,000
Sold: HK$6,300,000
Lot 1005 | A very large jade bangle
Hongshan culture, circa 3900-3000 BC
Diameter: 9.5 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 30 May 1991
Estimate: HK$200,000 - 300,000
Hammer Price: HK$4,200,000
Sold: HK$5,292,000
Lot 1011 | A 'mask' trident-form jade carving
Liangzhu culture, circa 3100-2000 BC
Length: 3.9 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 23 November 1992
Estimate: HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$4,100,000
Sold: HK$5,166,000
Lot 1012 | A very rare three-tiered jade cong
Liangzhu culture, circa 3100-2000 BC
Height: 5.5 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 2 November 1994
Estimate: HK$500,000 - 800,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,800,000
Sold: HK$4,788,000
Lot 1064 | A small white and russet jade standing figure
Mid-late Warring States, circa 400-221 BC
Height: 4.9 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 5 September 1990
Estimate: HK$300,000 - 500,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,200,000
Sold: HK$4,032,000
Lot 1025 | A jade carving of.a dragon
Late Shang Dynasty, circa 1300-1000 BC
Length: 3.5 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 22 September 1997
Estimate: HK$300,000 - 500,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,200,000
Sold: HK$4,032,000
Lot 1009 | A highly important and extremely rare 'exalted bird on an altar' mottled dark green jade bi
Liangzhu culture, circa 3100-2000 BC
Diameter: 24.8 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 4 October 1991
Estimate: HK$2,000,000 - 3,000,000
Hammer Price: HK$3,200,000
Sold: HK$4,032,000
Lot 1063 | A pair of small jade figures
Warring States period, 476-221 BC
Height: 3.9 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 15 April 1994
Estimate: HK$200,000 - 300,000
Hammer Price: HK$2,400,000
Sold: HK$3,024,000
Lot 1065 | A very rare jade bird-head form finial
Western Han dynasty, circa 206-8 BC
Height: 2.6 cm
Provenance:
- Chang Wei-Hwa, Taipei, 9 January 1992
Estimate: HK$600,000 - 800,000
Hammer Price: HK$1,200,000
Sold: HK$1,512,000
Auction Details:
Auction House: Christie's Hong Kong
Sale: Cosmic Essence: Archaic Jades from the Lantien Shanfang Collection
Date: 29 November 2024
Number of Lots: 75
Sold: 75
Sale Rate: 100%
Sale Total: HK$214,778,200 (US$28 million)