A CLUB-SHAPED JADE ORNAMENT
A CLUB-SHAPED JADE ORNAMENT
Jade
China, Late Neolithic period, Hongshan culture, c. 4700-2900 BC
This jade is published in Filippo Salviati 4000 YEARS OF CHINESE ARCHAIC JADES Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, no. 30
This pendant belongs to a category of Hongshan ornaments known in Chinese literature as gou or bing – hook or handleshaped ornaments. They invariably have an elongated form with a hole drilled at one of the extremities and a hook-shaped form at the other, a shape which recalls the protrusions often seen on Hongshan “hooked cloud” ornaments. Two small notches separate the ‘handle’ of the pendant from the hooked protrusion, whose surface is marked by fine grooves. The suspension hole is slanted and drilled from one side only of the pendant. The translucent light-green jade is polished to a high luster and has virtually no inclusions.
Dimensions: LENGTH 8.1 CM
Condition: Undamaged
Provenance: Austrian private collection