A MOTTLED JADE CONG, LATE NEOLITHIC TO SHANG DYNASTY
China, 2nd-1st millennium BC. With plain sides and narrow collars encircling the central aperture, the completely opaque stone of mottled gray, brown, and buff tones with dark veins.


Provenance
: Italian trade. Acquired from a private estate in northern Italy.

Condition
: Very good condition, commensurate with age, with several smoothened areas to the edges. The stone with natural inclusions and fissures, some of which have developed into larger cracks. Significant wear overall, mostly from centuries of worship within the culture, as well as distinct areas of weathering and erosion.

Weight: 582.8 g
Dimensions: Width 9.3 cm


The cong
is one of the most enigmatic of all Chinese jade artifacts, used as a ritual utensil during sacrificial and burial ceremonies.


Literature comparison:

Compare a closely related mottled jade cong, dated to the late Neolithic period, circa 2250-1900 BC, in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, accession number F1917.4.


Auction result comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 16 March 2017, lot 801
Price: USD 40,000 or approx.
EUR 45,500
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A grayish-green and buff jade cong, 2nd-1st millennium BC
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and mottled color. Note the size (6.3 cm).




新石器時代末至商代玉琮

中國，公元前2000年至1000年。完全不透明的玉琮，内圓外方。玉琮有著斑駁的灰色、棕色和淺黃色色調，帶有深色紋理。


來源：
義大利古玩交易，據説購於義大利北部私人收藏。

品相：
狀況極好，邊緣有幾個平滑的區域。玉石帶有天然内沁和裂隙，有的已發展成較大的裂紋。整體有明顯的磨損，以及風化和侵蝕區域。

重量：582.8 克
尺寸：寬 9.3 厘米


文獻比較：

比較一件非常相近的約西元前2250-1900年新石器時期末期玉琮，收藏於史密森學會國立藝術博物館，館藏編號F1917.4。


拍賣結果比較：

形制：非常相近
拍賣：紐約佳士得，2017年3月16日，lot 801
價格：USD 40,000（相當於今日
EUR 45,500
）
描述：公元前二千至一千年玉琮
專家評論：比較非常相近外形和斑駁顏色。請注意尺寸 (6.3厘米)。