A RARE AND MASSIVE LIMESTONE ‘PIG-DRAGON’ CARVING, ZHULONG, HONGSHAN CULTURE China, Neolithic period, c. 4000-3000 BC. Of generous proportions, the iconic coiled body further accentuated with a superbly rendered wrinkled snout, the neck drilled for suspension.

Provenance: Collection of Oliver Reginald Hoare (1945-2018). A prominent English art figure, described as arguably the most influential dealer in the Islamic world, Hoare joined Christie's London in 1967 where he was initially overseeing Russian art. After spotting some carpets left lying in a corridor and recognizing them as Persian, Hoare used them as the basis of a successful auction, which led to the launch of the Islamic Art Department, the first of its kind in a major auction house. He left Christie's in 1975 and opened Ahuan, a gallery in Pimlico, in partnership with David Sulzberger. In 1994, he negotiated the return of a Persian 16th-century manuscript to Iran, the Houghton Shahnameh (the most important illustrated manuscript ever created in Persia), in exchange for Willem de Kooning's Woman III which had been in Iran since the Islamic revolution. In the 1990s, he was famously liaised with Diana, Princess of Wales.
Published: Oliver Hoare, Every Object Tells a Story, 2017, London, page 26, number 14.
Condition: Good condition, presenting well, commensurate with age. Several hairline cracks and structural fissures. Distinct areas of erosion and general surface alteration. Small bruises. Fine, naturally grown patina, with an unctuous worn feel overall, due to extensive handling over decades, or even centuries, indicating the present zhulong was excavated long time ago.

Weight: 3,087 g (excl. stand)
Dimensions: Height 20 cm (excl. stand)

With an associated metal stand. (2)

Notable for its large size, this carving depicts a zhulong, or pig-dragon, a modern term that describes the animal’s upturned snout, prominent bulging eyes and coiled body. Considered to represent the prototype of depictions of mythological dragons in later Chinese art, zhulong are some of the most iconic creations of the enigmatic Hongshan culture, and evidence the existence of a complex system of belief in supernatural forces.

Auction result comparison: Compare a related calcified yellow jade zhulong, 10 cm high, also attributed to the Hongshan culture, at Sotheby’s Hong Kong in Monochrome II on 9 October 2020, lot 21, sold for HKD 2,520,000.

紅山文化罕見石灰岩雕豬龍
中國，新石器時代，公元前約 4000-3000 年。通體呈牙白色，肥首大耳，嘴部平齊，三角形切口不切透內圓，身體首尾相連，成團狀捲曲，背部對鑽圓孔，面部以陰刻線表現眼圈、皺紋。

來源：Oliver Reginald Hoare (1945-2018) 收藏。Hoare是一位著名的英國藝術人物，可以說是伊斯蘭世界最有影響力的經銷商，他於 1967 年加入倫敦佳士得，最初負責監督俄羅斯藝術。 他發現一些放在走廊上的地毯是波斯地毯後，Hoare將它們進行了成功的拍賣，以此爲基礎成立了伊斯蘭藝術部，這是大型拍賣行中的此方面第一個部門。他於 1975 年離開佳士得，與 David Sulzberger 合作在 Pimlico 開設了 Ahuan 藝廊。1994 年，他通過談判將一份十六世紀的波斯手稿《Houghton Shahnameh》（波斯有史以來最重要的插圖手稿）歸還給伊朗，以換取自伊斯蘭革命以來一直在伊朗的Willem de Kooning《女人III》。 1990 年代，他與威爾士王妃戴安娜有過交往。
出版：Oliver Hoare, Every Object Tells a Story, 2015, 倫敦, 頁26, 編號14。
品相：狀況及保存良好，與年齡相稱。幾處細小裂縫和結構裂縫。不同的侵蝕區域和一般的表面變化。微小擦傷。細膩自然的包漿，表面光滑潤澤，這説明它是很久以前出土的。

重量：3,087 克 (不含底座)
尺寸：高20 厘米 (不含底座)

配置金屬底座 (2)

拍賣結果比較：比較一件鈣化的黃玉豬龍，高10 厘米，紅山文化，見香港蘇富比Monochrome II 2020年10月 9日 lot 21, 售價HKD 2,520,000。