Jade. China, Late Neolithic, Hongshan culture, c.3500-2500 BC蹄形, 斜口筒形玉器 - 新石器時代晚期,紅山文化, 約公元前3500-2500年

HEIGHT: 10.5 CM, DIAMETER: 6.9 CM高 10.5 厘米，直徑 6.9 厘米

This peculiarly-shaped hollow tube is an exceptional example of the amazing accomplishments of the Neolithic Hongshan carvers who skillfully and laboriously removed the core from a block of jade to create imposing head ornaments. The slanted top of the hollowed tube resembles the hoof of an animal, which is why these ornaments are also described as tixing 蹄形, or ‘hoof shaped’.

The large tube, shorter in the front than in the back, has a slightly oval cross-section and thin walls that widen gently from the base to the top. Two tiny holes with a strongly slanted outer edge are drilled at equidistant points at the bottom of the ornament, probably for the insertion of a pin or rope.
There are smooth, vertical grooves carved on the inside of the tube that may have had a purely decorative function, but as the object was possibly used as a hair ornament, the grooves might have served to help keep the hair in place.

The jade, originally dark green in colour with blackened areas, is strongly weathered and has weakened over time. The small chips along the top and bottom borders and the fissures in the stone are natural breakages that occurred during burial: often seen on similar artefacts from excavations, they have mostly been found in graves of the Niuheliang site (Jianping county, Liaoning province). The mottled jade has taken on a bluish-greyish tone with small spots of coral, brown, black: the inner and outer surfaces are covered with white veins and patches.

This jade is published in F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Vienna 2017, no.7.

Expertise: Prof. Dr. Filippo Salviati

From a German collection德國老同志

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.