CHINESE REDDISH-BROWN JADE LIANGZHU CULTURE CONG. Patinated and incised reddish-brown jade cong, the sides are subdivided into five sections. Each of the five sections present a face. The upper section has a simplified form of a man-like head and the lower section has a simplified form of a monster face. The cong was pierced from the two ends. Liangzhu culture. Height: 21.2 cm, 8 2/16 inches. Reference: Jessica Rawson "Chinese Jades from the Neolithic to the Qing" p. 128, fig. 3:5. Note: The Liangzhu culture or civilization (3300-2300 BC) was the last Chinese Neolithic jade culture in the Yangtze River Delta.
NOTE: A copy of the consignor's purchase receipt will be provided upon request. Estimate $1,000-1,200
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.
