Jade. China, Late Neolithic, Liangzhu culture, c.3300-2200 BC玉璧 - 新石器時代晚期, 良渚文化, 約公元前3300-2200年

DIAMETER 21 CM, DIAMETER OF INNER HOLE 4.4 CM直徑21厘米，內孔4.4厘米

This imposing bi 璧disc has a fine-textured surface and exquisite mirror-like polish. Although the thickness and surfaces are irregular, a common characteristic of This imposing bi 璧disc has a fine-textured surface and exquisite mirror-like polish. Although the thickness and surfaces are irregular, a common characteristic of Liangzhu culture discs of this size, it is extremely smooth to the touch. One side is rather regular but the other presents undulations and a marked sloping near the border, where the jade sensibly decreases in thickness. The hole has been drilled from both sides, which is evident by the unpolished ridge left in the middle of the perforation.

The nephrite jade, typical of Liangzhu culture jades, is a beautiful combination of variegated colors that range from light green, auburn, ochre and darker reddish areas to black, with many striations of swirling white.

Literature comparison/Archaeological sites: Jade discs that are comparable in size, manufacture and texture have been found in several Liangzhu culture sites, including Fanshan (Yuhang county, Zhejiang province) and Fuquanshan (Qingpu county, Shanghai): see those reproduced in Zhejiang Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology 浙江省文物考古研究所, Liangzhu wenhua yuqi 良渚文化玉器 (Jades of the Liangzhu Culture), Wenwu chubanshe, Beijing 1990, nos.75, 77 and 85. Compare also the Liangzhu culture disc published in
F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna
2017, no.47.

Expertise: Prof. Dr. Filippo Salviati

From an Austrian collection奧地利老佔有

All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and described by Prof. Fillipo 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.