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Lot 137
A very rare and large carved jade 'cong'
Estimated Value:
15.000 € - 25.000 €
Result:
12.950 € incl. Premium and VAT
Description:
China, Neolithic, Liangzhu culture, 3rd millennium BC.H. 30,7 cm
Monumental, cylindrical jade cong with four protruding edges around a central pierced röhre. The surfaces are divided into eleven horizontal registers and decorated in flat relief with long and short bars that rhythmically emphasise the corners. Dark green nephrite with lighter-coloured veins and partial ageing patina; the surface shows the pitting and polish zones typical of soil storage.
From an important German private collection, acquired at Christie's London, 7 June 1993, lot 3
The cong (琮) - is considered the leading form of Liangzhu culture. The tension between square (earth) and circle (sky) refers to cosmological significance and social rank. Large formats of over 30 cm in height are rare and are among the most important known examples.
A very similar cong is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, Accession no. 2000.285 Ritual object (cong), Liangzhu Culture, ca. 2400 B.C. m with comparable vertical corner articulation and slightly conical shape. See also Sotheby's Hong Kong, 7.4.2015, lot 3605 and Christie's Hong Kong, 30.11.2016, lot 3012 - Good condition. Possible small polished chip to the edge and one to the corner at the end of one of the straight sides. Naturalistic stripe from the rim to 1/5 of the body downwards, which returns to the top on another side for 4.5 cm. The surface is minimally corroded. The colour has a pleasant rich green tone.
