East Asia, China, Neolithic Period, later Longshan culture (sometimes Lung-shan), ca. 2000 to 1600 BCE. A wonderful, hand-carved nephrite jade ritual axe blade, with a smooth, thin body, an elongated shape, and a curved, unsharpened blade edge. The elongated blade flares outwards from the rectangular hilt, terminating in a diagonal edge with a pointed tip. The grip has a similarly diagonal end and is perforated with a large, annular drill hole, possibly for suspension. Flat axe blades like this one were made to be put into an elite tomb alongside other luxury items. The surface of the stone boasts mottled hues of forest green and celadon with natural white graining throughout. Size: 12" L x 3.2" W (30.5 cm x 8.1 cm)

Chinese art has incorporated jade since the Neolithic period; quarries for nephrite, the formal name for jade, have been found in modern-day southern Mongolia that date to ca. 4000 BCE. The stone was prized for its hardness, its beautiful coloration (with a milky white being the most desired), and its durability. By the third millennium BCE, we know that jade had also come to be associated with immortality. Jade was used to make everything from everyday household objects and decoration to the ceremonial suits in which Han dynasty emperors were buried – with the belief that jade would preserve the body and the soul for eternity.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Fine Asian Treasures, Meilu Dong collection, New York, New York, USA, acquired before 2011

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#168121

Intact and excellent with silky smooth surfaces!