Neolithic Chinese Hongshan Stone Bowl Double Beasts

East Asia, China, Neolithic period, Hongshan culture, ca. late 4th to 3rd millennium BCE. Finely carved from a single piece of black stone, an ovoid bowl with ornamental handles depicting the heads of two long-horned or eared animals in relief at either end. The features are not the same on either end. One head appears to be leering with narrow eyes and pointed teeth, and the other has a soft smile and rounded eyes. An interesting bowl with a lovely lustrous surface. Size: 2.25" L x 3.375" W x 1" H (5.7 cm x 8.6 cm x 2.5 cm)

For many years, scholars believed that Chinese civilization began in the Yellow River valley, but now we know that there were actually earlier cultures both north and south of this region. The Hongshan culture, comprised of a group of Neolithic peoples who lived in the far northeast, in what is modern-day Liaoning province and Inner Mongolia, created a sophisticated society and erected elaborate ceremonial sites that oftentimes included valuable works like this example.

Provenance: private Illinois, USA collection; ex-Trocadero; ex-Mark Mlodoch Ancient Art, Chicago, Illinois, USA

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#136846
Condition Report: Loss to one side of face of one creature's head.