J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art / New York City, New York
MenuPast Exhibition
Ancient Chinese Jade
March 15-29, 2018
41.
A NEOLITHIC JADE ORNAMENT WITH INCISED MASK
Liangzhu Culture, circa 3300-2250 B.C.
the flat quadrangular plaque decorated on one side in very fine incised lines with an elaborate mask with circular eyes within elliptical ovals joined by a bridge above an oval ‘nose’ and an elongated oval ‘mouth’, surmounted by a high ‘headdress’ of radiating lines rising to a bracket shape top and centered with a small face within a quadrilateral frame, the reverse plain, the sides of the plaque with shallow rounded indentations cut out near the top and tapering down to an inset narrow flange pierced with three holes for mounting, the dark reddish-brown stone with cloudy degraded surface.
Width 2 1⁄8 inches (5.4 cm)
Ex J.J. Lally & Co., 1994 catalogue no. 29
A closely related double mask design is incised on a crown shape jade plaque with pierced flange for attachment excavated in 1987 from a Liangzhu site at Yaoshan, Zhejiang province, illustrated in Liangzhu wenhua yuqi (Liangzhu Culture Jades), Hong Kong 1989, p. 93, no. 120-121. It has been suggested that the design is meant to show a deified shaman image, identified by his human face and large flaring feather headdress, riding on the head of a giant monster with animal eyes.
新石器時代 良渚神面紋玉飾 寬5.4厘米
來源 藍理捷1994特展圖錄第29號
41.
A NEOLITHIC JADE ORNAMENT WITH INCISED MASK
Liangzhu Culture, circa 3300-2250 B.C.
Width 2 1⁄8 inches (5.4 cm)