Jade. Eastern Zhou, late Spring and Autumn period, 6th – 5th c. BC
é¾ç©€ç´‹ç¹«çŽ‰ç’° – æ±å‘¨, 春秋晚期, 公元å‰6世紀-å‰5世紀
直徑 7.5 厘米; 孔徑 4.7 厘米; 密 0.4 厘米
According to traditional terminology, this ornament, in the shape of a ring with a wide hole in the centre, is known as huan. The ring is carved out of a light green, translucent jade, with only minor iron inclusions concentrated in two portions of the border where the stone has turned opaque and dark brown. The decorative pattern is formed by four pairs of confronting, stylized dragon
heads carved at the cardinal points of the ring. The space between each pair of heads is then filled with differently oriented but symmetrically placed c-shaped scrolls. Small raised dots are also carved at equidistant points from the scrolls, while the space just between each pair of dragon heads is filled with a pattern of etched, criss-crossing lines.
The decoration has many similarities with that carved in the Eastern Zhou rings and pendants described in the previous lots, consisting of dragon heads associated with c-shaped scrolls. The southern origin of this pendant may be suggested through the comparison with similar jade ornaments excavated from sites in Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.
This jade is published in Filippo Salviati, Mysterious Jades of Ancient China,Edition Zacke 2014.
DIAMETER 7.5 CM, INNER HOLE 4.7 CM, THICKNESS 0.4 CM
From an Austrian private collection