A CELADON AND RUSSET JADE AXE, NEOLITHIC PERIOD China, 4000 to 2500 BC. The blade of flattened rectangular form with rounded edges and a small aperture for suspension. The translucent stone is of a pale celadon tone with areas of white clouding and distinct russet inclusions. The reverse with a series of deeply incised crescent-shaped markings.

Provenance: New York trade, USA, by repute acquired from a private estate.
Condition: Overall good condition. The stone with russet-colored encrustations, most likely residues from an iron source buried nearby. Some losses, mostly along the edges. The surface finely polished with several areas now silky matt, few intrinsic fissures, and a single large vein has developed into a natural crack.

Weight: 144.8 g
Dimensions: Length 13.9 cm, width 5.9 cm, aperture 0.9 cm

Knife- and axe-shaped blades made from stone were probably working tools in Neolithic societies. Jade is hard but brittle, so the blades made from this beautiful material are unlikely to have been put to practical use. Instead, they would have been held by chieftains as symbols of authority. Large quantities of jade blades have been excavated in different regions in China, indicating their widespread use over a span of more than 3,000 years.

Expert note: The British Museum described a related form of axe as Songze type (see Literature comparison), which is a culture discovered at Dongshancun site in Zhangjiagang city, Jiangsu, where numerous tombs from ancient cultures were unearthed, including their manifold contents.

Literature comparison: Compare a related stone axe, also dated to the Neolithic period, in the British Museum, accession number 1945,1017.115, and another in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, with the accession number A.64-1936.

新石器時代青玉斧
中國，公元前4000 至2500年。青玉質，局部褐色沁。斧呈扁平片狀，長條形，淺圓弧刃。上端有單面鑽螺旋式孔用於懸挂，一側局部漸增灰白色土沁，通體光素，圓潤渾厚。背面可有新月圖形。

來源：紐約古玩市場，據説購於私人收藏。
品相：整體狀況良好。赤褐色内沁。邊緣有一些缺損。表面光滑細膩，少量內部裂紋理，一條脈理已經發展成天然裂紋。

重量：144.8 克
尺寸：長13.9 厘米，寬 5.9 厘米，圓孔直徑 0.9 厘米