Chinese Shang Dynasty Nephrite Jade Adzes (pr)

East Asia, China, Shang Dynasty, ca. 16th to 11th century BCE. Wow! A pair of absolutely gorgeous nephrite jade adzes, each carved from a stone that ranges from deep, pine green to creamy white. Each is elongated, with one wide end and terminating in a short, blunt blade. Jade was prized above all other material for the ancient Chinese - indeed, the Chinese sign for father, which is known first from Shang period oracle bones, combines the glyphs for man and jade adze. Jade weapons and tools are a particularly rich group of grave goods from Neolithic and Shang China, known from the Yangshao culture (ca. 5000 BCE) to the Shang graveyard at Henan. A near-constant throughout human civilization is that wealth is demonstrated by destroying or burying the most valuable items, and so Shang burials containing jade weapons indicate that the deceased they belong to were the elite of ancient China. Some burials contained dozens of jade items like these! Size: 4" W x 1.2" H (10.2 cm x 3 cm)

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Arts du Monde, New York, USA, collected in the late 1980s to 1990s

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#144593
Condition Report: Both have light wear commensurate with age, including light pitting, but are intact and in very nice condition.