Large Neolithic dragon amulet. Hongshan culture, ca. 4700 - 2900 B.C. L 7 cm, W 5 cm. Greenish-brownish jade with speckled white inclusions, mineralogically altered and discolored. Depicted is a coiled zhulóng (pig dragon) in zoomorphic form with a pig-like head and an elongated, limp body wrapped around the head, which can be described as "suggestively foetal". The incision represents the animal's mouth, while the lines carved just above the incision suggest the snout. The round bulging eyes are highlighted and surrounded by a large groove, while the mythical creature's ears protrude slightly from the jade. Round perforation in the center. An additional conical perforation on the back, directly below the head, serves as a hanging hole. Intact. Slight surface weathering. Provenance: Ex collection R.K., North Rhine-Westphalia, before 1980.

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