Jade. China, Eastern Zhou period, 4th - 3rd century BC


This needle-shaped jade has a straight, elongated form: one end is carved in the shape of a dragon in profile and the other, much thinner, terminates in an acuminated point. The dragon’s head is rendered in a very powerful manner and it has an almost aerodynamic profile. It is carefully detailed and elegantly projects forward: the snout sticks out sharply and balances the long horns which extend behind the head. The rest of the jade is decorated with long curls, some incised and others in relief. The jade is of a pleasant, light green colour.
The extremity carved as a dragon head and the opposite end which terminates in a point suggest that this jade is actually a variation of the so-called xi-pendant, known also as a ‘knot-opener’. Xi-pendants of the Eastern Zhou period are in fact almost invariably worked in the shape of a dragon whose more or less arched or undulating body ends in an acuminated tip.
Strictly speaking, there are no close comparative examples from excavations, however, the jade can be safely dated to the late Eastern Zhou: the technique of carving, the style of the decoration and the iconography are in fact all fully consistent with jades of the period. Interestingly, the Palace Museum in Beijing has a similar xi dating to the early Ming dynasty (15th century): an archaistic jade which points to the existence of earlier models dating to the Eastern Zhou and possibly Han periods. An image of the Ming jade is at http://www.jianbaodangan.com/yulong/1087.html).
龍形開扣玉刀。中國，戰國時期至漢代，公元前3至2世紀。長8.85厘米，厚不到0.6厘米。

LENGTH 8,85 CM, THICKNESS UP TO 6 MM
From an old Austrian-Hungarian collection



Jades nos. 92 - 121 were examined by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati, declared to be authentic and dated by critical evaluation of their origin.
Salviati is a professor of Chinese art at the oriental faculty of the university „La Sapienza“ in Rome and one of the most renowned experts in the field of jades worldwide, specialized in archaic jades of all eras up to the Song dynasty. All images of jades on our website can be enlarged to high detail. Work by hand, signs of age, weathering and colour can be recognized in these images.
奧匈帝國舊藏。古玉由意大利 Filippo Salviati 教授鑑定。Salviati 教授是羅馬大學中國美術專家，世界上最出名的雕玉藝術專家之一。他的專業是商代一直到宋代的古玉。我會網上的古玉都可以方大，看的到最微小的細節，正如手工，年代，顏色等。