CHINESE GREEN CEREMONIAL JADE BLADE 'GUI;' SHIJIAHE CULTURE. Patinated and incised green ceremonial jade blade 'gui'. One side is decorated with an eagle with outspread wings, the other side is engraved with a mask. Shijiahe culture (2500-2000 BC). Height: 20 cm, 8 inches; Reference: ''Chinese Jade Selected articles from Orientations 1983-1996" , p. 27. fig. 23" "Bird motifs in Eastern Yi Art" by Wu Hung. Note: The Shijiahe culture (2500-2000 BC) was a late Neolithic culture centered on the middle Yangtze River region in Shijiahe Town, Tianmen, Hubei Province, China.
NOTE: A copy of the consignor's purchase receipt will be provided upon request. Estimate $200-400
PROVENANCE: Acquired in the early 1990s from Frank H. Crane's "The Hundred Antiques" store (Stirling, Ontario, Canada). Mr. Crane was a frequent visitor to Hong Kong where he acquired Archaic jades mainly from Mr. Lai Loy's well known and prominent shop near the Man Mo Temple on Hollywood Road. Mr. Lai (Chinese, 1926-2012) was the descendent of antique dealers from Guangzhou, China. In 2005, stones from the collection were verbally authenticated by Dr. Sarah Milledge Nelson (American, 1931 - 2020), a noted archaeologist and Distinguished Professor Emerita from the Department of Anthropology, University of Denver.
