Neolithic Hongshan Culture Chicken-Bone White Jade Jue, circa 4700–2900 BCE

拍品描述

Dimensions: Outer Diameter 4.4 cm (1.73 in / 0.14 ft); Late Neolithic Period, 5th–3rd Millennium BCE，Weight: 28 grams (0.99 oz)，Condition & Provenance: The jade jue is preserved intact overall, with no apparent major cracks, losses, or restoration. The surface displays extensive chicken-bone white calcification accompanied by irregular yellow-brown, cream, and off-white areas of coloration. Fine weathering textures and naturally varied surface deposits give the object a strongly aged appearance. Fashioned in the characteristic split-ring form, the piece has a substantial, rounded body with smoothly finished inner and outer contours. The central aperture shows visible rotational and abrasive-working traces along the interior wall, while the lateral split is cleanly formed and its opposing surfaces carefully smoothed. The entire object has been extensively abraded and polished, producing softly rounded edges and a mellow matte-to-waxy surface. Provenance: Private Collection, Switzerland. Collected during the 1990s and retained overseas for more than thirty years.Description: This compact chicken-bone white jade jue is carved from a single piece of jade into the distinctive split-ring form associated with prehistoric Chinese personal ornament. Although measuring only 4.4 cm across, its thick body and 28-gram weight give the piece a surprisingly substantial sculptural presence. The design is exceptionally restrained. A broad circular body surrounds the central aperture, while a narrow opening interrupts one side to create the defining jue profile. The absence of additional ornament places the visual emphasis entirely on proportion, material, negative space, and the carefully polished contours of the stone. Particularly appealing is the surface character. Extensive pale chicken-bone white calcification is interspersed with yellow-brown, cream, and off-white areas, creating an irregularly mottled appearance across the otherwise minimalist form. Fine fissures, weathered textures, and variations in surface luster further contribute to its archaic visual quality. The central aperture is carefully worked but retains subtle irregularities and rotational abrasion traces associated with drilling and grinding hard stone. Both the interior and exterior edges have been repeatedly smoothed, resulting in the broad, rounded transitions characteristic of labor-intensive abrasive jade working. The lateral split is equally important to the composition: rather than appearing as a simple cut through a finished ring, it is incorporated into the overall design, with the adjoining surfaces carefully finished and softened. Jade jue, or slit-ring ornaments, are among the characteristic categories of prehistoric Chinese jade. Archaeological discoveries indicate their use primarily as personal ornaments, including ear ornaments, while examples recovered from burial contexts also demonstrate their social and ceremonial importance. Their deceptively simple geometry required considerable technical control, since drilling, cutting, shaping, and polishing hard jade with abrasive materials was an exceptionally time-consuming process. This example is notable for the relationship between its small dimensions and unusually robust proportions. Its thick body, broad central opening, smoothly rounded profile, and richly varied chicken-bone white surface give the object a tactile and sculptural quality beyond its scale. Viewed as an expression of early Chinese hardstone craftsmanship, the piece embodies the restrained geometry, material sensitivity, and emphasis on polished form that continue to distinguish prehistoric jade traditions.

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