Jade, China. Neolithic period, 3rd millennium BC

小玉環三件。中國，東周代，公元前5-4世紀或之前。直徑 2,5 - 3,4 - 3,6 厘米, 厚 0.6 - 0.6 - 0.45 厘米。維也納私人舊藏。

Formally, these miniature disks correspond to a huan, that is a bi with a somewhat larger opening in the middle. But, because of the slit in the side, they are called jue. The sizes and exact shapes of these pieces vary, with one piece being visibly smaller. This piece has slanted edges while the other pieces have more rounded corners. The slit can be minimally more splayed and recalls the shape of a mouth, reminding one of the famous Zhulong form of Hongshan jades. And, in fact, these slotted jue might well represent the influence of the old deified “Boar-dragon’s” form, which had precisely such a slit as their mouth. This type of slotted ring has been found in graves from the most diverse Neolithic cultures up to those of the Zhou period, including in the grave of the queen Fu Hao. They later disappeared and apparently fell out of fashion. The smaller jue featured here might also have been used as earrings. Two of the pieces are completely white and opaque due to aging; the other one is white but has a good translucence with a clear greenish to lightly yellow color.

Comparable pieces appear every now and again and can be even smaller. J.J. Lally (New York) published a Neolithic Jue in “Chinese Archaic Jades and Bronzes” (no. 4); examples from the Neolithic Xinglongwa culture in “Chinese Jade – The Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Jade in China” by Gu Fan and Li Hongjuan; multiple late Neolithic pieces in the Book “East Asian Jade – Symbol of Excellence”, University of Hong Kong, no. 188.

This jade will be published in FILIPPO SALVIATI: “THE MYSTERIOUS STONE: Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Han in private collections” (date of publication spring 2017).

Notes by Prof. Salviati: Slit rings are amongst the earliest ornaments that were carved in jade by the Neolithic cultures of China, as documented by those found in Xinlongwa (c. 5000 BC) and Chahai culture (c.4500 BC) sites in north-east China and those from sites of the Majiabang (c.5000-4000 BC) and Songze (c.4000-3000 BC) cultures, which flourished in southern China. The three examples presented in this lot are all in whitened jade and slightly different in shape: the first two are both flattened but the border of the first slit ring is more rounded than that of the second. Instead, the third ornament has instead slightly raised ridges running along the circumference and on both sides, which give the ornament a faceted appearance. Faceted slit-rings in whitened jade from the Chahai site are reproduced in Zhang Shuwei 張樹偉 and Li Xiangdong 李向東 (eds.), Shikong chuanyue: Hongshan wenhua chutu yuqi jing pin zhan 時空穿越:红山文化玉器精品展 (Through time and space: Unearthed jade articles of the Hongshan Culture), Beijing 2012, pp.107 and 108. The second slit ring is similar to one in the collections of the Palace Museum, Taipei, while the first ornament can be compared to a slit ring from the Max Loehr (1903-1988) collection, auctioned at Sotheby’s Paris on 15 December 2016, sale no.PF1627, Lot 28: http://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2016/jades-archaiques-de-chine-pf1627/lot.28.html

DIAMETER 2.5 - 3.4 - 3.6 CM, THICKNESS 6 - 6 - 4.5 MM

From a German collection



Expertise: Wolfmar Zacken (description) & Fillipo Salviati (dating and expertise)