† A PALE CELADON AND BROWN JADE PIG-DRAGON FRAGMENT, ZHULONG, NEOLITHIC PERIOD, HONGSHAN CULTURE

拍品描述

† A PALE CELADON AND BROWN JADE PIG-DRAGON FRAGMENT, ZHULONG, NEOLITHIC PERIOD, HONGSHAN CULTURE Expert authentication: Dr. Gu Fang has examined the present lot and confirms its authenticity and the dating above, noting the style of cutting, workmanship, thickness and quality of stone with decomposed areas indicating burial all suggest a dating to ca. 4700-2500 BC. He assessed it as a piece of notably good quality. A copy of Dr. Gu's expertise, dated 2 March 2023, accompanies this lot. Dr. Gu Fang (born 1962) is an internationally renowned scholar of Chinese art and a leading authority on jades. He graduated from the Department of Archaeology at the prestigious Beijing University in 1986 and later studied at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS), where he now serves as a Senior Fellow specializing in archaeological excavations and Chinese jade research. A former visiting scholar at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, he has authored several books on Chinese jades, including the 15-volume The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China (2007), one of the most comprehensive studies of its kind, as well as Chinese Jade: The Spiritual and Cultural Significance of Jade in China (2012). China, 4700-2500 BC. The coiled body terminating in a superbly rendered head subtly detailed with delineated bulging eyes above a wrinkled snout and pierced from both sides to the neck for suspension. The semi-translucent stone is of a pale celadon color with faint gray and pale brown bands transitioning to a deep brown around the neck and left side of the face, with opaque patches and thin beige veins. Dimensions: Length 9.1 cm This carving depicts a zhulong, or pig-dragon, a modern term that describes the animal’s upturned snout, prominent bulging eyes and coiled body. Considered to represent the prototype of depictions of mythological dragons in later Chinese art, zhulong are some of the most iconic creations of the enigmatic Hongshan culture, and evidence the existence of a complex system of belief in supernatural forces. Auction result comparison: Type: Closely related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 18 April 2024, lot 560 Price: HKD 304,800 or approx. EUR 34,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Expert remark: Compare the similar form, color of the jade, condition, and size (10.5 cm). 13% VAT will be added to the hammer price additional to the buyer's premium - only for buyers within the EU.

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