A rare archaic mottled-green jade vessel, cong


Neolithic, Liangzhu CultureThe thick-walled cong carved in a square form, the sides carved with a stylised mask at each of the four corners, each mask formed of two long bars above a shorter bar representing the hair and nose, flanked by two incised rounded eyes, the stone with a glossy greyish-green tone with some dark green inclusions, box. 8.5cm (3 3/8in) wide. (2).
|新石器時代 良渚文化 神人獸面紋玉琮Provenance:P.C. Lu and Sons Ltd., Hong Kong, prior to the 1980s 來源：香港魯氏父子有限公司，早於1980年代The present cong displays the distinctive characteristic of Liangzhu culture cong vessels, with a square outer section around a circular inner part and decorated with stylised masks neatly arranged on each of the four corners.One interpretation of the function of cong is that it symbolised the earth. Although the precise meaning and use of the cong is not entirely clear, it was found in extensive numbers in Liangzhu tombs and is believed to be of great significance.Compare with two archaic jade vessels, cong, unearthed in Zhejiang, Liangzhu Culture, which are illustrated by Gu Fang in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China: Zhejiang, Beijing, 2005, pp.105-106; see another similar example excavated in Luzhuang, Zhejiang Province, now in the Nanjing Museum, illustrated in liangzhu wenhua yuqi, Hong Kong, 1989, no.38; compare also with a related archaic jade vessels, cong, with two sections, which was sold by Bonhams Hong Kong, 29 May 2018, lot 4.琮內圓中空而外方，柱形，單節，四面，每面頂部兩條平行陰刻線紋，以棱角為中軸對稱淺刻一對圓目，棱線正中部分略微打磨凹陷之，其下亦陷地浮雕方鼻，方鼻之上淺劃鼻孔，由此組成抽象人面。整器製作規整，雕琢精緻，拋光細膩，沁色豐富，頗為難得。玉琮為良渚文化最具代表的器型，在主要的良渚墓葬總皆有出土，可見其在良渚文化中的地位。雖然其具體用途尚未有一致結論，從其葬式來看，應有別於一般的裝飾器物，或許具有某種宗教用途，更有可能屬於一種禮器。單節良渚文化的玉琮頗有制式可循，一般以兩條平行陷地陰刻的細密帶飾代表頭髮，陰刻雙眼，鼻樑陷地打磨，鼻孔起地，陰線劃之。可比較兩件出土於浙江的良渚文化玉琮，制式裝飾和本件玉琮幾乎一樣，見古方編，《中國出土玉器全集8·浙江卷》，北京，2005年，頁105及106。另見江蘇省阜寧縣陸莊出土一件褐綠色良渚玉琮，現藏南京博物院，著錄於《良渚文化玉器》，香港，1989年，編號38。香港邦瀚斯售出一件良渚雙節玉琮亦資參考，2018年5月29日，拍品編號4。