Jade. China, Late Neolithic, Liangzhu culture, c.3300-2200 BC小獸面紋冠形玉器 - 新石器時代晚期, 良渚文化, 約公元前3300-2200年

HEIGHT- 4.6 CM, LENGTH 8.1 CM, WIDTH 5.5 MM高 4.6 厘米，長 8.1 厘米，寬 5.5 厘米

This small and unusual looking trapezoidal jade with a carved mask design is one of the jade types that were created exclusively by the Liangzhu culture: it was probably attached to something and worn as a head ornament. Its outline recalls the feathered headdress worn by the human-like figure in other Liangzhu carvings (see JAK917-010 in this auction), as suggested by the overall shape of the fitting and by the indentations on the top border. Just below the arch at the top-centre there is an oblong cut-out area, and below that, an animal mask carved in low relief. The mask is designed with finely incised lines in circular patterns and etched sections: incised spirals and striated bands decorate the large slanting eyes and also fill in the space between them, while the short slightly raised bar below, decorated with additional spirals, stands for the mouth. The front, decorated side, is slightly convex, whereas the back is plain and flat. There is a tenon at the bottom of the object, pierced with three biconical holes that were used to secure the jade fitting onto a support.

The jade is opaque and mostly green with rust-coloured patches on the lower left side and on the back. There are also other speckled rust-coloured areas and two noticeable light green parallel streaks on the right side of the face. Most of the jade is covered with a white patina and there is a small chip below the first and second holes of the tenon.

Literature comparison/Archaeological sites: Comparable examples from excavations that are similar in shape and with or without a mask carved in the centre are published in Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology 浙江省文物考古研究所, Liangzhu wenhua yuqi 良渚文化玉器 (Jades of the Liangzhu Culture), Wenwu chubanshe, Beijing 1990, nos.108-119.

Expertise: Prof. Dr. Filippo Salviati

From an Austrian collection奧地利老佔有

All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and described by Prof. Fillipo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.