AN ARCHAIC GREEN JADE AXE BLADE, DAO, NEOLITHIC PERIOD
China, c. 3000-1700 BC. Of trapezoidal form with a thin blade and beveled lower edge, pierced with three apertures along the upper edge. The translucent stone of a dark green hue with russet clouding and veins, and black shadings around the edges.


Provenance:
From the collection of Paolo Bertuzzi. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother’s business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out together with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.

Condition:
Good condition with ancient wear, some losses, chips and nibbles which have smoothened over the centuries of handling. Natural fissures in the stone, some of which have developed into small hairlines.

Weight: 269.3 g
Dimensions: Length 24 cm


Expert’s note:
Jessica Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, British Museum, 1995, pages 184, discusses jade ceremonial blades of the neolithic period and how they evolved from stone reaping implements.


Literature comparison:

Compare a related jade harvesting knife, hu, 62.7 cm long, dated to the Neolithic period, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1916.417. Compare a related jade harvesting knife, hu, 32.4 cm long, dated to the Neolithic period, in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F 1916.375.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams London, 18 March 2023, lot 4
Price: GBP 17,850 or approx.
EUR 21,000
converted at the time of writing
Description: A very large archaic jade axe blade, dao, Neolithic period
Expert remark: Note the larger size (38.5 cm).




新石器時代青玉刀


中國，西元前約 3000-1700年。青玉質，局部褐色沁。刀呈扁平片狀，長條形，淺圓弧刃。上端有三個單面鑽螺旋式孔，一側局部漸增灰白色土沁，一面有黃褐色紋理，通體光素，圓潤渾厚。


來源：
Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022年) 收藏。Paolo Bertuzzi是來自義大利博洛尼亞的時尚造型師。他是 Hettabretz 的創始人 Enrichetta Bertuzzi 的兒子，Hettabretz 是一家著名的義大利時裝公司，客戶包括羅斯柴爾德家族、奧黛麗赫本和伊麗莎白泰勒。Paolo Bertuzzi 後來接手了他母親的生意並設計了獨家作品，其中一些作品在美國紐約大都會博物館服裝學院展出。六十多年來，他還是一位狂熱的古董收藏家。他的收藏包括古代和當代藝術，他編輯了兩本關於亞洲藝術的重要書籍，《Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery》-關於義大利和印度尼西亞政府合作的大規模考古項目，以及《滿者伯夷-來自被遺忘王國的傑作》。

品相：
狀況良好，有磨損，一些缺損、磕損。玉料上有天然裂縫。

重量：269.3 克
尺寸：長 24 厘米


專家注釋：
Jessica Rawson 在 《Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing》（大英博物館，1995年，第184頁）討論新石器時代的玉祭刀以及它們如何從石製收割工具演變而來的專題。


文獻比較：

比較一件相近的新石器時代青玉刀笏，長62.7 厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號F1916.417。比較一件相近的新石器時代青玉留皮刀笏，長32.4 厘米，收藏於史密森學會國立亞洲藝術博物館，館藏編號F 1916.375。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：相近
拍賣：倫敦邦瀚斯，2023年3月18日，lot 4
價格：GBP 17,850（相當於今日
EUR 21,000
）
描述：新石器時代玉刀
專家評論：請注意尺寸較大 (38.5 厘米)。