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).
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
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).
