A SPINACH-GREEN JADE AXE BLADE, FU, NEOLITHIC PERIOD
China, 3000-2000 BC. Of flattened trapezium form with rounded edges and two circular hafting holes drilled from both sides. Dark-green opaque stone with areas of dark cloudy inclusions and russet flecks, reminiscent of a misty mountain landscape.


Provenance:
Shore Galleries, Chicago, Illinois, 1959, lot 357. An old private collection in New England, USA, acquired from the above. A copy of a page from a typewritten auction catalog for the Shore Galleries auction where the present lot was sold in 1959, with the catalog entry for the present lot describing it as an ‘Archaic green jade axe head’, as well as a copy of handwritten collector’s notes for the present lot, ‘Not sure if jade but in a special lined box etc. An old burial piece – Probably Han’, accompany this lot. The box has an old label, inscribed ‘Stone axe from Han dynasty’.

Condition
: Good condition, commensurate with age. Minor losses, signs of weathering and erosion, small nicks, minor chips, encrustations.

Weight: 414.2 g
Dimensions: Length 15.5 cm, width 13.5 cm, aperture 1.4 cm (each)

With a padded silk storage box. (2)


Knife- and axe-shaped blades
made from stone were probably working tools in Neolithic societies. Jade is hard but brittle, so the blades made from this beautiful material are unlikely to have been put to practical use. Instead, they would have been held by chieftains as symbols of authority. Large quantities of jade blades have been excavated in different regions in China, indicating their widespread use over a span of more than 3,000 years.


Literature comparison:

Compare closely related jade axes dated to the Neolithic period, from the collection of Max Loehr, sold at Sotheby’s Paris, 15 December 2016, lots 55 and 65. Compare a related jade axe, also dated to the Neolithic period, dated 6000-3000 BC, 10 cm high, in the British Museum, registration number 1937,0416.15. Compare a related jade axe, also dated to the Neolithic period, c. 2500 BC, 15.5 cm long, in the British Museum, registration number 1937,0416.108.


Auction comparison:

Type: Closely related
Auction: Bonhams London, 7 June 2021, lot 422
Price: GBP 20,250 or approx.
EUR 29,000
converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A rare archaic spinach-green jade axe blade, Ge, Neolithic Period
Expert remark: Note the length (18 cm).




新石器時代菠菜綠玉斧


中國，西元前3000-2000年。扁平的梯形器，上端有二孔，可縛紮執柄，下端有刃。深綠色不透明玉石，帶有深色雲狀內沁和黃褐色斑點的區域，讓人想起霧濛濛的高山景觀。


來源：
伊利諾斯芝加哥Shore Galleries藝廊，1959年，lot 357；美國新英格蘭州私人舊藏，購於上述藝廊。隨附一份藝廊列印拍賣目錄副本，顯示此拍品於1959年出售，並説明“玉斧頭”，以及一份藏家手書“Not sure if jade but in a special lined box etc. An old burial piece – Probably Han“。盒子上有個舊標籤，上寫”Stone axe from Han dynasty“。

品相：
狀況良好，輕微缺損、風化和侵蝕跡象、小刻痕、小磕損、結殼。

重量：414.2 克
尺寸：長 15.5 厘米，寬 13.5 厘米，孔1.4 厘米

內襯絲質包裝盒。 (2)

由
石刀和石斧
可能是新石器時代的工具。玉石堅硬而脆，因此玉刀玉斧不可能投入日常使用。它們象徵著權威。中國不同地區出土了大量玉斧，其廣泛使用已有3000多年的歷史。


文獻比較:

比較非常相近的新石器時代玉斧，來自Max Loehr收藏，售於巴黎蘇富比，2016年12月15日，lots 55和65。比較一件相近的西元前6000至3000年新石器時代玉斧，高10 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1937,0416.15。比較一件相近的約西元前2500年新石器時代玉斧，長15.5 厘米，收藏於大英博物館，館藏編號1937,0416.108。


拍賣結果比較:

形制：非常相近
拍賣：倫敦邦瀚斯，2021年6月7日，lot 422
價格：GBP 20,250（相當於今日
EUR 29,000
）
描述：新石器時代玉戈
專家評論：請注意長 (18 厘米)。