A LARGE GREY JADE CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, CONG Neolithic Period/Shang Dynasty (2)A LARGE GREY JADE CYLINDRICAL VESSEL, CONGNeolithic Period/Shang DynastyOf generous proportions with smooth, slightly convex, square sides and cylindrical neck and foot, the interior of circular section expertly hollowed, the stone of dark green tone with brown veins, box. 18.4cm (7 1/4in) high (2).新石器時代/商 灰玉玉琮Provenance: Roger Keverne Ltd., LondonA distinguished English private collectionPublished, Illustrated and Exhibited: Roger Keverne Ltd., Winter Exhibition, London, 2006, no.83來源：倫敦古董商Roger Keverne Ltd.英國顯赫私人收藏展覽著錄：Roger Keverne Ltd.，《冬季展覽》，倫敦，2006年，編號83The shape of the present cong appears to be common in jade production dating to the Neolithic period/Shang dynasty, which was characterised by a square outer section around a circular inner part. Heaven is symbolised as a circle and earth is a square. Although the precise meaning and function of the cong is, to this day, unknown, one interpretation is that it protected the body against evil spirits and malign influences.See related examples illustrated in Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth – Chinese Jades through the Ages, Taipei, 2011, pl.4-4-13, in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei; see also J.Johnston and Chan Lai Pik, 5,000 Years of Chinese Jade, Taipei, 2011, no.18, for an example in the collection of the National Museum of History, Taiwan. For a related cong, see J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, p.153, no. 7:1.