Jade. China, Late Neolithic period, early Bronze Age, c.2200-1900 BC
Though smaller in size, this disc is rather similar to Nos. 81 and 82. The border is more regular than the two larger discs and the central, slightly conical hole has been drilled from one side only. The ridge in the hole has not been smoothed down and the thin lines engraved on it, with remnants of soil encrustations, are the tool marks left by the tubular drill used to perforate the jade. The jade is dark green and only partly translucent, since more than two-thirds of the object are opaque due to heavy inclusions. These also take the form of small striations and black spots, conferring a pleasant leopard-skin effect to the jade. Half of the disc is also crossed by a whitish band, a sign of a superficial alteration of the jade which merges harmoniously with all the other natural features of the stone. Just as for discs Nos. 81 and 82, the carver was able to exploit all the ‘imperfections’ of the jade, producing an aesthetically pleasing, well-balanced visual effect, enhanced by an accurate and thorough polishing of the surface. 玉璧 - 新石器時代晚期, é’铜器時代早期, 公元å‰22世紀-å‰19世紀All archaic jades expertized by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati å¤çŽ‰å…¨éƒ¨éƒ½ç”±æ„大利 Filippo Salviati 教授鑑定.
DIAMTER 15,4 CM
From an Italian collection