Jade. China, Late Shang dynasty, 13th - 11th century BC 蟬紋玉琮 - 商代晚期, 公元前13世紀-前11世紀 This simple cong 琮, with a squat form, low borders on the collar and unadorned sides, is carved with stylized cicadas on the corners. The basic features of the insects are successfully rendered with just a few, rather rough and irregular incisions. The surface appears to have been polished, but not to a high finish, and there is an unabraded central ridge on the inner core. The translucent jade is only visible on approximately half of the cong: the rest is highly altered and opaque due to extensive calcification which has rendered the jade almost ivory in colour, with numerous veins of brown, areas of diffused amber and occasional brown speckles throughout. Parts of the jade retain the original smooth texture, while the affected areas feel much rougher, also due to the various small nicks and slightly pitted surface. There are also a few fine cracks running across the jade, especially in the altered areas. The type of jade and workmanship suggest an Early Bronze Age date for this cong, which bears similarities to the jades crafted by the Qijia culture (c.2200-1600 BC, see no.12 in this catalogue). However, the closest comparable examples of cong decorated with animals carved at the corners have been brought to light from late Shang period sites: compare a more refined but equally short cong with four stylized cicadas on the corners discovered in the tomb of Fu Hao (c.1250 BC), at Anyang, Henan province, and published in Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Yinxu yuqi 殷墟玉器 (Jades from Yinxu), Wenwu Chubanshe, Beijing 1981, no.12. A second comparable cong decorated with stylized animal heads was excavated in 1989 from the late Shang period site at Dayangzhou, Xingan, Jiangxi province: see Yang Boda (ed.), Zhongguo yuqi quanji: 2, Chunqiu Zhanguo中国玉器全集/2/商, 西周 (Chinese Jades: 2, Shang and Western Zhou), Hebei 1993, no.131. Compare also a jade pendant of rectangular form with similar carved cicadas at the corners published in Zhou Nanquan, Gugong bowuyuan zang wenwu zhenpin quanji - Yuqi (shang) 故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集 ．玉器上 (The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware I), Hong Kong 1995, no.98. Provenance: From an old Austrian collection HEIGHT 4.5 CM - WIDTH 7.5 CM - DIAMETER 8.2 CM 高 4.5 厘米 - 寬7.5 厘米- 直径 8.2 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.