**First Time At Auction**
East Asia, China, Shang Dynasty, ca. 16th to 11th century BCE. A gorgeous nephrite jade celt boasting a smoothly-carved, elongated form and natural hues of sage, olivine, mint green, and mocha. The ceremonial instrument features one straight end drilled with a suspension hole and a gently tapering body that ends in a rounded tip. Chinese art has incorporated jade since the Neolithic period; quarries for nephrite, the formal name for jade, have been found in modern-day southern Mongolia that date to ca. 4000 BCE. The stone was prized for its hardness, its beautiful coloration), and its durability. By the third millennium BCE, we know that jade had also come to be associated with immortality. Jade was used to make everything from everyday household objects and decoration to the ceremonial suits in which Han dynasty emperors were buried – with the belief that jade would preserve the body and the soul for eternity. Size: 13.5" L x 2" W (34.3 cm x 5.1 cm)
Yu, the Chinese word for jade/nephrite, is also an idea - of a steadfastness and reliability, mirrored in the abrasion techniques required to make these intricate works of art. Yu is also not bound by the mineralogical definition of jade - over the millennia that it has been carved in China, the people have had varying access to sources of jade and nephrite - but is rather a wider term for hard stone. From the Neolithic period forward, the Chinese buried jade with the dead, often broken or placed ceremonially on the body; they also used it in life for performing rituals.
Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection; ex-Arts du Monde, New York, USA, before 2000
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#177760
Condition
Some chipping to face and blade edge near tip, as well as small nicks to surface. Natural fissures to stone in areas. Otherwise, intact and excellent with good preservation of form and mostly smooth surfaces.