A PALE GREEN JADE ‘CLOUD-SCROLL’ PENDANT, HONGSHAN CULTUREChina, c. 4000-3000 BC. Well carved and pierced, the stylized cloud scroll with subsidiary elements protruding from the four corners, pierced with two circular apertures for suspension. The translucent stone of a pale green tone with pale brown shadings and icy inclusions.Provenance: From the estate of Ivar Björnberg. One side with an old label, ‘91’. Ivar Björnberg (1934-2021) was a noted art director from Stockholm, Sweden. He was friends with Victoria Lindström, a reputed dealer and collector of Chinese art, also based in Stockholm at the time. Björnberg worked at her gallery at a young age and when he eventually started his own collection, she mentored him. His collection was an academic one and it showed his keen eye, discerning taste and great passion for the aesthetics of Chinese art.Condition: Very good condition with ancient wear, tiny nicks and nibbles here and there, signs of weathering and erosion, the stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time. Some of the small ‘grooves’ appearing on the surface of this jade may be a result of weathering due to long-time burial, rather than intentional carving.Weight: 81.5 gDimensions: Length 13.2 cmThe Hongshan culture, from which this plaquees, 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. Judging from the holes on its back and on the top center, this piece may have been an ornament, however, its exact function cannot be deciphered until more archaeological evidence bes available.Literatureparison:Compare a related jade cloud-scroll plaque, 9.8 cm wide, also attributed to the Hongshan culture, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2009.176.Auction resultparison:Type: RelatedAuction: Sotheby’s London, 4 November 2021, lot 386Estimate: GBP 25,000 or approx.EUR 32,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writingDescription: A jade 'cloud scroll' pendant, Neolithic period, Hongshan cultureExpert remark:pare the related form and color of the jade. Note the size (12 cm).紅山文化青玉勾雲形佩中國，約西元前 4000-3000年。此器以勾轉型式為主體，週邊突出，從四個角突出輔助拱形部分，形成勾雲形， 頂部穿有圓形孔。 半透明的青玉，赤褐色紋理和陰影以及白色絮狀物。