A RARE YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE 'HUMANOID FIGURE' PENDANT, HONGSHAN CULTURE China, Neolithic period, c. 4000-3000 BC. Worked in the form of a double-horned humanoid with the hands resting on the knees, the face detailed with slit eyes and protruding ears, the body with pierced sections between the arms and legs, as well as a horizontally carved suspension hole behind the head. The translucent stone of a yellow to celadon tone with areas of russet skin and few dark specks.

Provenance: From the private collection of Professor Filippo Salviati, Rome, Italy. A professor of archeology and art history at the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies at the Sapienza University of Rome, Prof. Salviati has researched and published extensively on Chinese archaic art.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, few minuscule nicks, the stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 41.0 g
Dimensions: Height 6.1 cm

The Hongshan culture, from which this jade pendant comes, remained unknown until the 1980s. Centered in northeastern China, it is known for large ceremonial structures built with rocks, graves lined with stone slabs, and distinctively shaped jades that were often the sole goods found in tombs. The present lot belongs to a distinct group of three-dimensional humanoid figures, a few of which have been recorded during the 20^th century, all from ancient collections assembled well before systematic excavations made the culture more widely known and appreciated.

Literature comparison:
The present lot is stylistically related to the Hongshan humanoid figures discussed in Angus Forsyth, Five Chinese Jade Figures. A Study of the Development of Sculptural Form in Hongshan Neolithic Jade Working, Orientations, vol. 21, no. 5, May 1990, pp. 54-63. Forsyth illustrates three figures worked in the round. One was in the collection of Louis C.G. Clarke and has since 1960 been in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge (accession number O.55-1961), another from the Severance A. Millikin collection has since 1953 been in the Cleveland Museum of Art (accession number 1953.628), and the third, from the collection of Ernest Erickson, has been at least since the 1960s in the Ostasiatiska Museum, Stockholm. An additional figure in the Palace Museum, Beijing, has been published together with the Fitzwilliam and Stockholm examples in James C.S. Lin, The Immortal Stone. Chinese Jades from the Neolithic Period to the Twentieth Century, Cambridge, 2009, pp. 15-16.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Paris, 10 June 2021, lot 77
Price: EUR 40,320 or approx. EUR 44,000 adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A very rare jade 'humanoid figure' pendant, Neolithic period, Hongshan culture
Expert remark: Compare the closely related pose, horns, and pierced sections. Note the smaller size (4.5 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby's Hong Kong, 4 June 2020, lot 373
Price: HKD 93,750 or approx. EUR 12,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A miniature yellow jade humanoid figure, probably Neolithic period, Hongshan culture
Expert remark: Compare the closely related color of the jade. Note the smaller size (4 cm).



紅山文化罕見青玉留皮人形佩
中國，新石器時代，公元前 4000至3000年。玉人成蹲坐式，雙手放在膝蓋上，面部眉眼可辨，雙耳突出，手臂和腿之間有穿孔，頭部後面有一個水平雕刻的懸掛孔。黃色至青色的半透明玉石，帶有赤褐色皮和少量黑色斑點。

來源：義大利羅馬Filippo Salviati教授私人收藏，Filippo Salviati教授是羅馬大學東亞研究所考古系及藝術史系教授。他對中國古代文物以及玉器進行了廣泛研究並出版了很多專著。
品相：狀況極好，輕微磨損，少量小刻痕，有天然裂縫的玉料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些可能已經發展成細小的裂縫。

重量：41.0 克
尺寸：高6.1 厘米

紅山文化直到 1980 年代才正式公佈發表。它以中國東北為中心，大型祭壇，女神廟和積石塚墓群遺址，出土了一批形狀獨特的玉石，這些玉器通常是墓葬中唯一的物品。本拍品屬於極其罕見的人形佩。

文獻比較：
本拍品在風格上與三件紅山文化人形佩相近，見Angus Forsyth，〈Five Chinese Jade Figures：A Study of the Development of Sculptural Form in Hongshan Neolithic Jade Working〉，《Orientations》，第21卷，第5期，1990年5月，頁54-63。其中一件是Louis C.G. Clarke的收藏品，自1960年以來收藏在劍橋的Fitzwilliam博物館（藏品編號O.55-1961），另一件來自Severance A. Millikin的收藏，自1953年以來收藏在克利夫蘭藝術博物館（藏品編號1953.628），第三件來自Ernest Erickson的收藏，自1960年代以來收藏在斯德哥爾摩東亞博物館中。收藏在北京故宮博物院的另一件作品，與收藏在Fitzwilliam博物館和斯德哥爾摩東亞博物館的兩件人形佩，一起發表在James C.S. Lin，《The Immortal Stone. Chinese Jades from the Neolithic Period to the Twentieth Century》，劍橋，2009年，頁15-16。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：巴黎蘇富比，2021年6月10日，lot 77
價格：EUR 40,320（相當於今日EUR 44,000）
描述：新石器時代紅山文化玉雕神人
專家評論：比較非常相近的姿勢、角，以及穿孔位置。請注意尺寸較小(4.5 厘米)。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：香港蘇富比，2020年6月4日，lot 373
價格：HKD 93,750（相當於今日EUR 12,000）
描述：大約新石器時代紅山文化青玉留皮人形佩
專家評論：比較非常相近的玉石顏色。請注意尺寸較小(4 厘米)。