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THBChinese Hongshan Nephrite Hoof Shaped Hair Ornament
Lot 111a
About Seller
Artemis Gallery
686 S Taylor Ave, Ste 106
Louisville, CO 80027
United States
Selling antiquities, ancient and ethnographic art online since 1993, Artemis Gallery specializes in Classical Antiquities (Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Near Eastern), Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal / Oceanographic art. Our extensive inventory includes pottery, stone, metal, wood, glass and textil...Read more
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Live Auction in Progress ... Currently on Lot Estimate:
$4,000 - $6,000
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About Auction
Live
By Artemis Gallery
Feb 21, 2019
Set Reminder
2019-02-21 10:00:00
2019-02-21 10:00:00
America/New_York
Bidsquare
Bidsquare : Exceptional Antiquities, Asian, Ethnographic
https://www.bidsquare.com/auctions/artemis-gallery/exceptional-antiquities-asian-ethnographic-3858
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
An important one-day auction featuring museum-worthy examples of Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Near Eastern, Far East / Asian, Pre-Columbian, African / Tribal, Oceanic, Native American, Spanish Colonial, Russian, Fossils, Ancient Jewelry, Fine Art, so much more! Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (472)
- Lot Description
East Asia, China, Later Neolithic Hongshan culture, ca. 3500 to 2500 BCE. Wow! An incredibly rare nephrite jade artifact, a flaring, tubular-shaped ornament that archaeologists believe was made to adorn the hair of high status men and women during the later parts of the Hongshan culture. The jade is a rich, mottled green with bands of black, grey, and red-brown, its surface almost entirely smooth aside from a few very shallow vertical ridges on the flared upper end and two drilled holes in the sides of the smaller end, presumably made for attachment when wearing. This item is labeled a "horse hoof" (mati) because it is though to resemble one in its outline. These have been found in excavated graves lying behind the head of skeletons, leading to the belief that they may have been hair ornaments - although others believe they may have been the predecessor to the porcelain pillows of later Chinese burials. Size: 2.5" L x 4.1" W x 5.05" H (6.4 cm x 10.4 cm x 12.8 cm)
This example is actinolite nephrite, which has a high iron content, leading to its mottled and striated appearance; light can shine through some of the paler parts of the stone. Many of the excavated examples of these items have been found at Niuheliang, a massive burial site in Liaoning Province in Northeast China, while others are known from the Gejiayingzi site near the Mongolian border. Hongshan period jades come from both ceremonial and funerary contexts; they have been found placed on or near foundations of ceremonial structures, as at Dongshanzui, as well as in elite tombs. Archaeologists have excavated hundreds of their burials, ranging from many small graves containing few burial goods to a limited number of obviously high status graves, in large chambers, with hundreds or even thousands of burial goods. For example, at the Fanshan site, a large earthen mound that contained eleven tombs, archaeologists found over three thousand pieces of carved jade, in addition to stone and pottery items. Jade was the most valuable item known to the Neolithic Chinese.
A similar example recently sold in Vienna for EUR 11,250 (approximately USD 13,000): https://www.dorotheum.com/en/auctions/current-auctions/kataloge/list-lots-detail/auktion/11207-asian-art/lotID/32/lot/1890485-a-rare-and-well-carved-green-jade-hoof-shaped-tubular-ornament.html; another sold at Christie's in 2010 for USD 22,500: https://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/a-rare-altered-opaque-buff-jade-hoof-shaped-5344449-details.aspx#top
c.f., "Jades of the Hongshan culture : the dragon and fertility cult worship" by Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Arts Asiatiques, 1991, 46, pgs. 82-95.
Provenance: ex-Eugene Behlen collection, Englewood, Florida, USA, collected from 2000 to 2010
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#143803Signs of wear on surface commensurate with age including a few small chips and nicks from edges. Intact with light deposits, notably in the drilled holes.Condition
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