Jade. China, Eastern Zhou, 4th – 3rd century BC三穀紋玉墜 - 東周時代, 公元前4世紀-前3世紀

Length: 3 / 3 / 3 cm長 3 / 3 / 3 厘米

Small beads like the three grouped here, and those in lots JAK917-027 to JAK917-029 in this auction, were commonly used in the Eastern Zhou period as components of pendants: the jades were strung together with gold or metal chains which passed through the hole drilled at the centre of the beads.

These three lovely small biconical beads in white jade are decorated with a delicate pattern of small spirals in relief and an incised line that delimits the border of each end. All three beads present extensive calcification in the form of chalky white areas on most of the surfaces.

Literature comparison/Archaeological sites: Three very similar beads are published in F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, no.206.

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.