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THBChinese Shang Dynasty Jade Cong / Ritual Item
About Seller
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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About Auction
LiveMar 9, 2023
Artemis Gallery info@artemisgallery.com
View Full Catalog (413)
- Lot Description
**First Time At Auction**
East Asia, China, Shang Dynasty, ca. 1558 to 1046 BCE. A hand-carved ritual funerary item known as a "cong" that is hand-carved from mottled forest-green nephrite jade. The intriguing implement features a cylindrical interior cavity with a thick rim as well as a relatively rectangular body with 4 projecting corners on each end and sharp edges along its length. The asymmetrical drill markings can still be seen within the body to show exactly how this cong was formed - and pebbles are lodged inside a lip created from this process. Size: 4.25" L x 2.5" W (10.8 cm x 6.4 cm)
During the Shang dynasty, members of the royalty were accompanied in the afterlife by their bronzes, ceramics, weapons, amulets, and ornaments, and even the human and animal entourage that surrounded them in life. Jade items like this one formed part of the decoration of these tombs and seem to have been reserved for the most elite people in society. The funerary function of nephrite jade congs like this example probably had a religious connotation. Some scholars of Chinese Neolithic history and anthropology posit that the cong is "…based on the ancient Chinese notion that earth was square and heaven round, while the hole in the object represents the passage connecting heaven and earth." (Weichao, Yu. "A Journey into China's Antiquity - Volume 1: Palaeolithic Age - Spring and Autumn Period." National Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, China, 1997, p. 80)
PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent increases of shipments being seized by Australian & German customs (even for items with pre-UNESCO provenance), we will no longer ship most antiquities and ancient Chinese art to Australia & Germany. For categories of items that are acceptable to ship to Australia or Germany, please contact us directly or work with your local customs brokerage firm.
Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Arts Du Monde, New York, New York, USA, acquired before 2000
All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.
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#176269Condition
Chips and losses along rims of both sides and abrasions to corners. Stable hairline fissures and striations. Small pebbles lodged inside interior lip.
- Shipping Info
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