Jade. China, Late Neolithic, late Longshan culture, c.2300-1900 BC 玉鳥 - 龍山文化晚期, 約公元前 2300-1900年 This lovely jade bird is extremely thin and delicate, both aesthetically and in structure. Its simple design represents a standing bird in profile with just a few curves to define the shape of its sloping body. The bird has an upturned tail, two curves on its back that represent the wings, and two squared-off extensions on the underside of the body that stand for the feet. Minimal decorations describe its features: a slit for the open mouth and a hole for the eye. The ornament is smooth with just a subtle bevel and slope towards the edges that confer a very slight threedimensional quality to the otherwise flat bird. The translucent jade is a beautiful light green, almost white, with a greyish tonality and a couple of light and dark brown patches on the tail. A virtually identical example of the same dimensions and type of jade is in the Harvard Art Museums’ collection (accession number 1943.50.208) and published in M. Loehr and L.G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge 1975, no.598. Similar sketched birds in jade dated to the Longshan culture are on display in the National Museum of China, Beijing. Provenance: From a Canadian collection LENGTH 7.5.CM - WIDTH 5 CM 長7.5 厘米 -寬 5 厘米 Expertise: Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and dated by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.