Jade. China, Eastern Zhou, 4th – 3rd century BC絞絲紋玉環 - 東周時代, 公元前4世紀-前3世紀

Diameter: 8.1 cm直徑 8.1 厘米

This interesting partly calcified ring in white jade is carved with a pattern of parallel, spiraling, carved lines, known as the “twisted-rope” motif. The artistry of the carving is rather exceptional, as the carved lines spiral around the jade in such a way that it is not possible to determine where the design begins and where it ends. There is also an extensive brown coloration to the disc, especially on one side where approximately one-half of the jade is almost completely covered: the other side has fewer brown areas. The ring is partially calcified which has rendered the jade quite rough to the touch.

Literature comparison/Archaeological sites: Three comparable rings in green jade are in the Harvard Art Museums (accession numbers 1943.50.377/612/618) and published in M. Loehr and L.G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA) 1975, no.477-479. See also another similar ring in F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, no.242.

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.