The Trudy and John Cohen Chinese Pendant Collection

THE COLLECTORS

AND

THE PENDANT COLLECTION

by
Clare Chu

Chinese Pendants
Research has revealed that very little has been written about Chinese pendants (1) as literature is scarce and usually refers to archaic jade pieces. As such The Cohen Collection is unique in its examples of Qing dynasty pendants in materials such as jades, agates and other more unusual stones.

Exhibitions & research
The earliest known exhibitions occurred in 1919 and 1925 when Liberty's of London held two expositions entitled simply 'Jade Amulets.' In these exhibitions they referred to the pieces as 'amulets' although it is apparent from the accompanying catalogues that they are ornamental pendants.

The catalogues state that 'amulets' (pendants) were worn hanging from one shoulder; however this is not always so, although it is easy to see where this idea has its foundations.

Liberty's also mention the official string of beads that a Chinese mandarin wore as consisting of 108 beads, a central plaque, and a pendant. These are worn with the plaque and the pendant hanging down the back on the outside of the ceremonial robe. One therefore presumes that these pendants are different to the 'amulets' (pendants) described in the catalogues.

Museum sources suggest that men and women wore pendants in different ways. It should be pointed out that this refers exclusively to persons of a higher rank as the commoner would not be able to afford the luxury of a precious ornament.

Ladies of the imperial court attached pendants to the top button that fastened their robe, on the right hand side near to the collarbone, whilst men would hang them from their belts. It is also a possibility that some tactile pendants or carvings may have been carried in small silk purses hanging from the girdle, and used as fondling pieces.

One problem with research in this area is that pendants were not worn as part of official court attire and therefore we cannot refer to the documented regulations (2) for clues to their usage, and other literary references tend to be uninformative.

Schuyler Cammann (3) when making an important distinction between toggles and pendants notes that simple charm pendants were called 'beiqing', translated as 'pendant scriptures' and that ornamental girdle pendants were called 'beiyu' (or 'yubei') meaning 'hanging jades'. The latter had no particular function unless as an indicator of auxiliary marks of rank, as their use was restricted to higher Court officials.

One group of pendants which does appear to have a practical function is that of 'abstinence' plaques such as those shown in the exhibition at Spink & Son Ltd., London, entitled 'Minor Arts Of China III' (4) where it is evident from the translation of the characters on the wood plaque: 'to be in a state of abstinence from food and drink' that this type of pendant would be worn on the robes of Court ladies during periods of fasting, when sacrifices were offered to Imperial ancestors or deities.' Pendants were attached to the button on the robe by a silken cord which threads through a bead or disc and then through the pendant via what the Chinese call a 'string-eye' (so-tzu yen) i.e. a hole or gap, an integral projecting loop, or an attached ring.

THE COHEN COLLECTION

It is unusual to find both Chinese & Japanese antiques in a single publication. However, having looked at this CD-ROM and talked to the owners one can clearly see the many ways their appreciation of fine craftsmanship together with a love of tactile objects, provides a valid link between these beautiful works of art.

The enjoyment of handling wonderful netsuke is very similar to the pleasures we all know of handling a fine jade pendant or snuff bottle.

The Cohen's desire to complete sets such as a netsuke with its ojime and inro, rather than just the netsuke, or just the inro, exposed them to the subtleties of Japanese lacquer and led them into collecting works of art in this media. With the Chinese works of art the same rule was applied; the snuff bottles had to be complete with spoons and stoppers, and unusually even the snuff! When collecting pendants, they added the cords and beads as so often these were missing.

Tying the knot
The majority of the pendants in this collection arrived without any cord and, aiming as always for perfection, the owner learnt to string the pendants himself. The correct method of knotting and threading the silk cord, brought over from Hong Kong, was discovered from a pendant with an original cord which was carefully unknotted noting at each stage how to reconstruct the complicated cord.

Most of the beads are of semi-precious stones and are acquired in all sorts of unlikely places. The miniature seed pearls caused a problem as the holes for threading are so tiny that even specialised beading needles are often too large and consequently some of them have to be threaded using very fine fuse wire, a tortuous lengthy process!

Collecting - how it all began
The Cohen's early collecting days began a world away from Oriental art, with Satinwood furniture, of the Edwardian period, which they admired visually for the liveliness of the wood and the movement apparent in the fine grains. There is a limit to the amount of furniture one can collect and soon the owners had moved away from larger pieces into the engaging world of Japanese art.

Netsuke
They began collecting and forming a collection of netsuke (with the help and guidance of George Cohen) of a complete set of animals of the zodiac in both ivory and wood; a task which in its turn soon led them to acquire a small collection of inro which complemented the lacquer boxes and combs already in their possession.

Inro
A remarkable and early example (L1) by the artist Shibata Zeshin, (1807- 1891) illustrates very well the standards set for themselves in their ideas of collecting i.e. that the inro should be complete with its ojime and netsuke (or manju). The inro, signed by Zeshin, shows a trio of rats stealing eggs; one dark rat is lying on its back carefully holding the brown-pink egg, another rat drags him along, by his tail, whilst the third peers into the bowl of eggs.

The move from Japanese lacquer occurred after one particularly frustrating visit to Sotheby's in London where the owner left the sale disappointed by his failure to buy any pieces. Miserably he made his way down the street, and wandered into the Bond Street Arcade, where he chanced upon Estelle Chapman's stand and a large number of Chinese snuff bottles. Not knowing much about them, he allowed the sales assistant to show him their collection, most of which did not really appeal to him.

Chinese Snuff Bottles
However, when he was shown a group of 'silhouette agate' bottles he felt his pulse quicken and a sense of agitation crept upon him that all collectors will recognise. Needless to say, he left with three chalcedony bottles in his pocket captivated by the beauty within the stones and secretly wondering what his wife would say to this diversion from Japanese lacquer.

One of these snuff bottles (B25) was a honey coloured agate, the darker skin on the front skillfully depicting a corpulent figure, Pu Tai He Shang, the patron saint of tobacco baring his immense belly to the world - an apt subject with which to start a collection of Chinese snuff bottles!

Fortunately his wife was also fascinated by these miniature works of art, as she had previously been a manageress of a jewellery shop in Zurich, Switzerland and had been particularly interested in gemstones. Having attended a two year course in this area as part of her jewellery apprenticeship, she could fully appreciate the complexity of manufacture, and the vision of the craftsmanship in achieving these images on snuff bottles.

At the beginning the Cohen's tended to acquire only silhouette and carved agate snuff bottles, keeping track as always of provenance. One of their favourites (B48) is a very well hollowed bulbous honey coloured agate carved on the front with a lively Manchu bannerman astride his galloping charger (1750-1860). It is always a hard task choosing favourites and this is not made any easier by the quality of the snuff bottles in this collection.

One arresting example (B56) is a superbly hollowed three colour carved chalcedony snuff bottle, of flattened ovoid form, with on one side a yellow duck resting on a large white leaf against a dark brown background, the reverse carved with a yellow phoenix on a white flowering prunus. (1750-1860). This bottle was exhibited in 1974 by Hugh Moss Ltd. in his Chinese Snuff Bottle Exhibition in London. Yet another snuff bottle stands out (B47), a superbly hollowed honey coloured agate carved in relief with a tethered horse, the reverse plain. (1750 - 1860). Although a common subject, the quality of the carving is quite masterful. There are two factors that make this bottle so special - one is the fluidity of the carving and the other is the clever use of the brilliant translucent reddish colour for the horse.

Choice & variety
Throughout their collecting days the Cohen's set themselves very high standards, judging pieces not only on an aesthetic level but with the additional criteria of quality, material and subject matter. In addition to this, with the exception of the inside-painted snuff bottles, each bottle contains a different type of snuff, in all approximately eighty blends, together with an attractive stopper and an old spoon. Each piece is therefore highly individual and avoids repetition of popular subjects which often recur throughout the Oriental art field.

This is well illustrated in the glass group of snuff bottles, an area where, for example, it can be all too easy to acquire a large number of glass overlay bottles carved with similar motifs. Two bottles stand out in this group, both superbly carved and each with its own type of dragon, and although dragons do appear elsewhere in the collection, there appears to be an almost conscious attempt to avoid this common subject.

The first bottle (B71), from the Ko collection, is a bulbous milk white glass snuff bottle carved on both sides using a red overlay with a sinuous coiled chilong, the shoulders with mythological animal mask ring handles. (1750-1850).

The second snuff bottle (B68) is of ruby red glass and is of a bulbous elongated form carved with an archaic dragon with petal lappets at the neck, the shoulders carved with mock mask and ring handles (1700-1850). This bottle, acquired from Hugh Moss Ltd. and illustrated on the back cover of the International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society's Journal (December 1975) is superbly executed, with the glass towards the centre of the body being very thin, giving it a crisp delicate appearance. As well as considering subject matter, the Cohen's have a preference for materials in stone and glass, and a particular leaning towards stone snuff bottles where the material is left to speak for itself.

One of their favourites (B2) does just that - a miniature rounded agate snuff bottle (height 1"), with the upper half consisting of a translucent beige crystalline formation over a lower half of banded white, beige and dark brown lines. (1750-1860).

One of the highlights of my first visit to see this collection was another uncarved agate snuff bottle (B5) which I found totally irresistible. It is of flattened ovoid form and well hollowed with the natural stone forming inclusions of pearl grey, white, blue and green markings. l75O-186O (Ex. Ko Collection). The Cohen's referred to it as the 'waterweed' agate, however I found it reminiscent of the Chinese subject of 'pine trees in the snow'.

One of the important factors in choosing a bottle in a stone such as jade or agate is whether or not the bottle has been well hollowed. The collection has two favoured jade snuff bottles both of which can only be described as 'eggshell thin'. The first is a superbly hollowed bulbous uncarved snuff bottle (B10), the flawless blue-grey stone left in all its glory; the second (B9) is again superbly hollowed, a 'celadon' jade, of plain, tall, rectangular shape, the stone of a powerful green colour. (1750-1850).

Discovering Pendants
The collection of pendants began in a similar way to the Cohen's collection of snuff bottles. A parallel situation was occurring where the market in snuff bottles was fast developing under the auspicious eyes of both Hugh Moss and the I.C.S.B.S. With an increase in awareness came an increase in demand and consequently, in the value of snuff bottles.

On one occasion they were visiting Richard Marchant, a dealer in Oriental art in Kensington Church Street, London and could not find a snuff bottle that they liked within their price range. Richard Marchant suggested as an alternative that they might like to look at a small collection of jade carvings he had recently acquired, as he thought they would appeal to them.

Amongst this group were several jade pendants which immediately attracted their attention and on this visit they went home with three of them, one of which was a white and russet piece carved as a squirrel with grapes (P29). In a sense it was an almost natural progression. Their interest in jewellery, their joint preference for examples in jade, with the additional attribute of very good quality carving came together in these fascinating pieces.

The hunt began
A factor which quickened their interest was the challenge inherent in collecting pieces which were less popular than snuff bottles, as there was no known market, and good quality old pendants were considerably harder to find. It is not clear whether this is due to a lack of awareness in the market, or that pendants are rarer than snuff bottles, although they both feel that the latter is true. None of the dealers that have found pendants for this collection are aware of another collection, and all of them have confirmed, that good quality pendants are indeed much harder to find than comparable snuff bottles.

Their second chance to add to this new collection came after they mentioned their growing interest in this area to Robert Hall. He already had a small personal collection of jade pendants which he showed them and which were eventually purchased as a whole group.

This collection now totals over seventy pieces, mostly in jade or agate but also including such materials as coral, amber, amethyst, tourmaline and glass.

Exhibitions of pendants
In October 1987, an exhibition of the collection was mounted at Robert Hall's gallery in London to coincide with the annual International Chinese Snuff Bottle Society convention being held there.

Research does not reveal any other exhibitions of Qing dynasty pendants between the two exhibitions at Liberty's, London and this exhibition which will be familiar to those who attended the convention. There was no catalogue of the last exhibition however a striking poster illustrating a substantial number of the pendants in the collection was produced.

Lindsey Hall started to collect pendants soon after that exhibition, however after a number of years she had only acquired ten pieces and was frustrated with such slow progress. Most of those pendants were recently sold and are now in this collection.

Links across these collections
There are a number of interesting pieces which cross over all the collections. One object forms a connection between netsuke, lacquer, snuff bottles and pendants. It is a fine double gourd-shaped guri lacquer netsuke (N57) in the form of a snuff bottle complete with spoon and a central link to allow it to hang as a pendant. The bond between snuff bottles and pendants occurs with a well hollowed russet jade snuff bottle (B60) of pebble form, carved in relief, as a marrow with a beetle crawling amongst foliage. One of the branches enables it also to be hung as a pendant.

Handling with care and affection 
One of the attractions of netsuke, snuff bottles and pendants is that they all function as wonderfully tactile handling pieces, and one feels that the Chinese carvers whether using wood, ivory, jade or hardstones generally took special care to avoid sharp edges that would feel uncomfortable in the hand.

One of the Cohen's favourite pendants illustrates this very well; it is a chalcedony pendant (P53), the reverse carved with raised calligraphy against rockwork, translated as 'the most fabulous kylin', the front with a high relief carving of a kylin blowing clouds into the sky, the brown stone contrasting effectively with the milky white background. This pendant from the Suzhou School must rank as one of the finest in this collection, it is breathtaking to look at and marvellous to handle.

Occasionally, there are pendants which are technically admirable but which are uncomfortable in the hand and this may have occurred where concessions to the sense of touch were less necessary i.e. if the pendant was worn too high or too low (girdle pendants) for ease in handling.

A jade pendant in the collection is a good example of this (P41). Again, manufactured by the Suzhou carvers, it depicts a monkey holding a peach beneath a pine tree, the russet yellow tone against a creamy grey background of dramatic rockwork, a waterfall to one side. It is a fantastic piece visually but as a handling piece leaves much to be desired.

The third Suzhou school pendant in the collection (P44) also deserves a mention as it is a prime example of exhibiting the maker's sense of humour in the work of art - a classic Chinese characteristic. Again in jade, it is carved with a prancing horse against an off-white background with rockwork to one side, under a pine tree with a cheeky monkey hanging off the tree; the reverse with a grey monkey on a lotus pod by rockwork. It is only after handling this tactile and intricate piece that you come across the small monkey hidden upside down beneath the tree.

Another favourite pendant is a carnelian example (P65) carved using the red and white inclusions with silkworms and moths amongst mulberry fruit and leaves. It is very nicely undercut in relief and is smooth to the touch. The accompanying bead is also in the form of fruit, carved in green glass as a pair of peaches.

Although most pieces in the collection are either jade or agate, the Cohen's have not restricted themselves exclusively to these materials; rather they have been constrained by the availability of good quality pendants in other materials. One of the most dramatic of these is in amber (P71), well carved as a shi-shi with the young pups carved using the opaque yellow (root amber) whilst the shi-shi itself is of a transparent rich golden honey tone.

Collecting never ends
The owners remain fascinated by their collection; whilst no collection is truly complete, their activities are focused on actively acquiring pendants rather than snuff bottles. Their task is hard yet their enthusiasm is undaunted. Having attempted to share their collection with other collectors they hope that this may bring more pendants to light and that collectors will appreciate the beauty and craftsmanship of the pieces, in some senses so similar to our beloved snuff bottles.

Clare Chu

E-mail: asianartstudio@msn.com

Clare and Michael Chu
Asian Art Studio, Inc
425 Gin Ling Way,
Los Angeles,
CA 90012
USA

https://www.asianartstudio.com

Reference

1. In this article there is a distinction made between Chinese pendants and belt toggles used for fastening things to the belt.

2. Medley. M. The Illustrated Regulations for Ceremonial Paraphernalia of the Ch'ing dynasty. Published by Han Shan Tang, 1982.

3. Cammann. S. Chinese Belt Toggles. Oriental Art. 1962. No 2. PP 72-78.

4. Spink & Son Ltd. Catalogue of 'The Minor Arts of China III'.  April 1987 No. 30. pp. 35; No. 46. pp. 43.

Cohen. G. In Search of Netsuke and Inro. Published by The Jacey Group of Companies. 1974.

Watt. J.C.Y. Chinese Jades From Han to Ch'ing. Published by Asia Society Inc. in association with John Wetherhill. 1980.

Kaynes. M. Snuff Bottle Review. 1976.

Liberty's of London. Jade Amulets I and II. Catalogues of the exhibitions of 1919 and 1925.