Hongshan (?) culture, c.3500-3000 BC
This rather simple ornament represents one of the
first forms into which small items in jade for personal
adornment were crafted in by the Neolithic cultures
which flourished in the northern China regions. The
object, shaped as an elliptic ring with an equally elliptical
hole in its centre, has been carved out of a thin slab of
jade. One side of the ornament is flat while the other is
slightly convex, giving the object a peculiar lens-shaped
cross-section. The area around the elliptic hole on
the convex side slopes slightly downward and bears a
partially faded collector’s number written in white ink.
The sloping inner border and the perimeter of the ring
show some imperfections which are clear signs of manual
workmanship. The chip visible at one point of the border
is a natural defect in the stone and it is caused by the
presence of a small vein in the jade. When held against
the light, two additional veins can be observed on the
jade: their dark, brownish colour indicates the presence
of oxidized iron within the crystalline structure of the
jade. The stone is translucent and green in colour, while
the sheen of the jade is probably the result of some oily
substance used by previous collectors who treasured this
item.
This ornament is tentatively attributed to the Hongshan
culture on the basis of the type of jade, workmanship
and the few related examples coming from controlled
excavations: one such example, discovered in the
Hongshan culture site of Sanguandianzi, Liaoning
province, is reproduced in Rawson, Chinese Jade, Fig.
1, p.113. The disc, with a squarish profile, has the same
distinctive lens-shaped cross-section as the present one,
a feature seen on other Hongshan jades of the same
category.
A similar ornament but with a more pronounced squarish
outline is illustrated in Salviati, Radiant Stones, no.6.
SIZE 9,7 x 4,9 CM
From an Austro-Hungarian collection.
??? - ????(?), ???35??-?30??