A JADE ARC-SHAPED ‘MASK’ PENDANT, HUANG, LIANGZHU CULTURE A JADE ARC-SHAPED ‘MASK’ PENDANT, HUANG, LIANGZHU CULTURE China, circa 3300-2200 BC. The flattened pendant neatly incised to one side with a mask with bulging eyes at the center and two apertures to the edges for suspension. The translucent stone of a soft ivory-white color with extensive calcification. Provenance: From a Czech private collection. Condition: Very good condition, commensurate with age. Extensive wear and weathering, as expected. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. Weight: 54.9 g Dimensions: Length 9.2 cm Huang were a part of the elite adornments during the Neolithic period, especially within Hongshan, Liangzhu, and Longshan cultures. These were worn along with headgear, knee decorations, elaborate beaded necklaces, and other body ornaments, all made primarily from jade. Dr. Elizabeth Childs-Johnson dubs these cultures a part of the ‘Jade Age’, a period during which an abundance of jade objects accompanied the elite burials for the first time. The imagery carved on these jade adornments was highly standardized, and the most prominent image, which appears on this lot, is that of the godhead (also called a spirit person, shenren, or an anthropomorphized deity). This image is flat, often covered in cosmic cloud scrolls, and has zoomorphic attributes combining bird and semi-human elements. Literature comparison: Compare a related jade huang from the Liangzhu culture in the Ancient Chinese Jade Gallery of the Shanghai Museum. Compare a related jade huang from the Liangzhu culture included in the jade relics exhibition of the Dawenkou, Longshan, and Liangzhu cultures at the Shandong Museum, Jinan, in 2014. Compare a related jade ornament with a mask design, dated mid-3 rd millennium BC, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 18.63.

Estimate 1 200 - 2 400 EUR

Starting price 1 200 EUR

* Not including buyer’s premium.
Please read the conditions of sale for more information.

Sale fees: 30 %

Leave bid

For sale on Thursday 05 Sep : 11:00 (CEST)

vienna, Austria

Galerie Zacke
+4315320452

Browse the catalogue Sales terms Sale info

Delivery to
Change delivery address

Estimate your delivery

Delivery is not mandatory.
You may use the carrier of your choice.
The indicated price does not include the price of the lot or the auction house's fees.

A MOTTLED JADE YUE AXE, DAWENKOU CULTURE, C. 4500-2500 BC A MOTTLED JADE YUE AXE, DAWENKOU CULTURE, C. 4500-2500 BC Published: Filippo Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, 2017, pp. 80-81, no. 87. Of elongated form with tapering side, the axe with a lens-shaped cross section, and a central aperture to the top which has been drilled from both sides. The translucent stone with inclusions of mustard, brown, and dark chocolate, as well as russet veins. Provenance: Private collection of Prof. C. Eberhard Klein, Germany. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and natural imperfections. Minor erosion and shallow surface wear. Weight: 277.2 g Dimensions: Height 17 cm The Dawenkou culture (c.4500-2500 BC) is one of the early societies that made use of jade during the late Neolithic period and transition to the Bronze Age, with sites mostly distributed in the Shandong province. The jades found in these sites are mostly derived from types developed by the two neighboring and major jade-using cultures, Hongshan in the north and Liangzhu in the south. Particularly favored were jade axes, which are more elongated than the Liangzhu ones, and often chisel shaped, like the present lot. Because jade was so costly, it is unlikely this was a utilitarian tool. Its use was probably more symbolic or ritual. The thin, sharp blade shows no sign of wear. The presence of such jade objects indicates a high level of skill in fine crafts. Due to its hardness, jade cannot be carved with metal blades but must be ground with abrasive sand in a slow, labor-intensive process. Literature comparison: Compare a closely related axe discovered at a Neolithic tomb at Dawenkou, published in Shanghai: Shanghai jiaoyu chubanshe, 1989, pg. 5 of illustrations.

Lot 1716

Estim. 6 000 - 12 000 EUR

A TWO-TIERED IVORY JADE CONG, LIANGZHU CULTURE A TWO-TIERED IVORY JADE CONG, LIANGZHU CULTURE China, late Neolithic period, c. 3300-2200 BC. The thick-walled cong with gently rounded sides and a cylindrical interior, carved to each corner with a stylized human and animal mask design. The eyes and noses as well as the raised bands above the human mask and recesses in between are finely incised with line and scroll designs. The faces are divided with a gently recessed vertical band to the center of each side. The opaque stone of a cream and beige tone with milky inclusions, as well as russet veins, and calcification. Provenance: The Shibata family collection, Japan. Galleri Kokoro, Stockholm, Sweden. Swedish private collection, acquired from the above in 1998. Condition: Very good condition with wear commensurate with age. Natural imperfections, smoothened losses to edges, tiny nicks, few natural fissures, and signs of weathering and erosion. Few hairlines which may have developed into cracks. The stone with alterations. Weight: 512.8 g Dimensions: Diameter 9.7 cm, Height 5.6 cm With a padded silk box and cover. (2) The present cong displays the distinctive characteristic of Liangzhu culture cong vessels, with a square outer section around a circular inner part and decorated with stylised masks neatly arranged on each of the four corners. The exceptional craftsmanship is particularly notable in the very delicate and precise quality of the carving and incised decoration, enhanced by the lustrous patina formed on the surface over time. One interpretation of the function of cong is that it symbolised the earth. Although the precise meaning and use of the cong is not entirely clear, it was found in extensive numbers in Liangzhu tombs and is believed to be of great significance. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s London, 4 November 2021, lot 385 Estimate: GBP 250,000 or approx. EUR 354,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A rare calcified jade cong, Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture Expert remark: Compare the closely related two-tiered form, manner of carving, mask motifs, and ivory-cream color of the stone. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2018, lot 4 Price: HKD 21,700,000 or approx. EUR 2,863,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A very rare archaic jade ritual vessel, cong, Neolithic Period, Liangzhu Culture Expert remark: Compare the closely related two-tiered form, manner of carving, ivory-cream color, and similar stylized human and animal mask design. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2018, lot 3080 Price: HKD 3,700,000 or approx. EUR 486,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A very jade cong, late Liangzhu culture, c. 3000-2500 BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related two-tiered form, manner of carving, mask motifs, and ivory-cream color of the stone with inclusions of russet.

Lot 1717

Estim. 1 500 - 3 000 EUR

A JADE CONG-FORM BEAD, LIANGZHU CULTURE A JADE CONG-FORM BEAD, LIANGZHU CULTURE China, c. 3300-2200 BC. The tubular bead is carved in the form of a two-tiered miniature cong, drilled vertically from both sides. The lower register is carved with a stylized mask at two of the four corners, while the upper register is carved with a different mask at each corner, each well detailed with neatly incised lines and spirals. The fully calcified, opaque stone is of a creamy beige tone with russet veins. Provenance: From a Czech private collection. Condition: Good condition with ancient wear, small nicks here and there. The stone with calcifications, weathering, and natural fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks over time. Fine, naturally grown patina. Weight: 62.2 g Dimensions: 4.9 cm Literature comparison: Compare a related cylindrical-form jade bead, dated to 3300-2250 BC, 2.9 cm long, exhibited by J.J. Lally, Ancient Chinese Jade: From the Neolithic to the Han, 10 March-2 April 2016, New York, no. 11 (together with two further neolithic jade cong-form beads). Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 27 November 2019, lot 2723 Price: HKD 525,000or approx. EUR 67,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A cong-form jade bead, Liangzhu culture, circa 3300-2200 BC Expert remark: Compare the related form, decorations, and color of the stone. Note the size (3.8 cm).

Lot 1733

Estim. 1 500 - 3 000 EUR

A WHITE JADE PENDANT, HUANG, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY A WHITE JADE PENDANT, HUANG, EASTERN ZHOU DYNASTY China, 8 th-3 rd century BC. Each side of the arc-shaped huang is intricately carved with a dense network of scrolling spirals, both raised and neatly incised, the end sections carved with an abstract dragon head with slit mouth and rectangular notches at the edges. The translucent stone is of a white tone with few dark specks and cloudy inclusions. Provenance: From the private collection of Professor Filippo Salviati, Rome, Italy. A professor of archeology and art history at the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies at the Sapienza University of Rome, Prof. Salviati has researched and published extensively on Chinese archaic art. Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear and few minuscule nicks. Natural inclusions to the stone. Weight: 31.5 g Dimensions: Length 8.7 cm Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Christie’s London, 21 February 2019, lot 101 Price: GBP 10,000 or approx. EUR 13,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A celadon jade huang, Eastern Zhou-Warring States period, 8 th-3 rd century BC Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and decoration, also with both raised and incised spirals. Note the rope-twist borders, celadon color, and related size (9.5 cm).

We respect your privacy:

Cookie management: