Page 41 - Chang Wei-Hwa Collection Hong Kong Nov 2019 Christie's

AN EXTREMELY RARE LIANGZHU CONG

➱⿉̃⨑ᪿἔᾟ

The jades of Liangzhu Culture abound in number, diversity, and excel Ⱞ᳜ᙔࢇℱ଍ᙇ㞔അ卿଍㯸㎒卿㫌↱⠢卿ᛓԋⵖᙔᚺटӳഌ
in craftsmanship as some of the most illustrious jade artefacts in the ᘞ⊿ᆭ⎏ℱԠ⠢৅ǯℱ↼ᛓⰮ᳜ᙔࢇݎᭆࠛ㙁⎏ℱ଍ഞⶾǯ
history of Chinese civilization. Among the many types of jades of the
Liangzhu Culture, the jade cong are the most distinctive. Ⱞ᳜ℱ↼卿ംᙹݤ஋卿மս୨㈍ἃԋ㕻⤇卿㫌↱▵՞℡㬷⡠卿
ᛓ਒Ӭ᮱ᝳݏ⡵⎏Ⱞ᳜ℱ଍଍♎ǯ᚝ឆսᏓ⒝ₕἃԖ卿▵՞
Liangzhu jade cong have a square outer section and a circular inner
hollow. Each corner serves as a vertical axis over which a symmetrical Ꮅ℡㬷㫌↱⠢⡿卿ᛮឆս㵶⍈ₕἃԖ卿ۣս➯ࢇ⎏▵՞␓䁉
mask motif is carved. The cong are only type of Liangzhu jades with 㬷⡠ἃԖǯ
decoration. The early cong were mainly squat, featuring exquisite deity-
or animal-stylised carved details while the later ones were mostly thin ᫉։ℱ↼ἃⰮ᳜ℱ↼ԋ⧎㇦⎏Ⅷ৅ǯ
and tall with simplified facial features dominated by the eyes and nose.
଍ヿகᶽត⣌᳖↚卿⊶१ᲶᲶ⎏க㿩ⰰ卿଍⎏ݦ⛘㚒⤏ᝳཐ
The present cong is an exceptional treasure of the Liangzhu Culture. 㞔ᔭۘ卿१→Իईᮡᇌ⎏㫕㵓⎊ⰰǯℱ㐏⠢Ⱞ卿ᝳཐ㞔㬪ⰰ
ᜆᙚকㆁⰰཎᙚ㿽卿཭㛑ᝳ㘲ݏ卿㰆→ᜆ⇰ࠂ㘲⎏ℱ㐏ǯ
Covered with some light ochre earth encrustations, the vessel has
some minor wear on two of the edge with alterations in chicken-
ᙃ㵲ᆄ㚒ᙹᆨ卿ԋ㛑ഌ஋ເ卿㫐㬷㧙ເ卿ເഌ೅⺧卿ເݤ೅
bone white colour. The quality of the stone is superb with some bluish
crystalline spots and russet speckles. The stone is semi-translucent in a Ꮲ╖⠢⡿卿⊶ᝳ߃ᆄǯ
few areas.
↼㵲ӳӴݦ⛘ངऑӬ⯎卿଍㕇୨㬷ԋ㛑ἃݏ⡵⎏⏜ᦷ卿ᦷ㬷
The present cong is of square section with rounded corners with a ⊶१ᆄₕ߃㬷ǯս୨㈍ἃԋ㕻⤇卿ս᳍߄ᦷߎᎰӲ❥ǯ
large circular aperture through the middle. Drilled from both ends,
the large central aperture is enclosed by relatively thin walls. The inner ✄Ӭ❥ἃ჌ވ⎏▵՞㬷⡠卿սӳ⛘⎏ݦ㙣߃ᨕᨯ㎜ᇨވ჏卿
section of the walls has been carefully polished and slightly convex. ஙᨕᨯӳߴᝳՆǮݪ㙣ჹリ߄ᆃ⡠卿ݦ㙣ᨕᨯԠ㧿ߴ㱈Ի㙄
⦛࣍㫡⡠ǯވӴ࣊ἃ▵՞㬷⡠卿㞒஄ἃ␓卿ം஄❖㧙᳍ߴ卿
The top and bottom collars around the aperture are consistent in size.
Gouged channels run vertically along the middle of the four sides ݤ஄ߴ↱卿␓㈍ߴᎰཎӲ㈍ₕǯ⊇᳝஠᳍᱙㫌႙⻱ᆨᎰᇤ߃
with slightly convex surfaces. The four corners of the vessel provide the ⎏༶䁉卿䁉㬷ӳ↱ߴԻӲ⢑࣍㫡⡠ǯ
central axes and the horizontal gauges divide the vessel into three tiers.
✄Հ❥ἃ᳍᱙㫌⎏℡㬷⡠卿❖㧙᳍ߴ⎏㞒஄ἃ㫐␓卿ഌᙻ▵
The first tier shows a humanoid-deity mask wearing a headdress. The
՞␓␩卿⩧Ԗ㇝ࢥߣஙᙻ℡␓⎏Ӭڬᝳᨌ஋ᆨ⎏␓⑷卿␓⑷
headdress is represented by two horizontal raised ridges each engraved
Ԡ㧿ᝳ᧶ᆨᧉ⏟㙄卿␓⑷ӳߴ㢶⥝⤾⎏࣍㫡⡠卿᳍᱙㫌⎏༶
with five or six parallel lines in intaglio, bordering a band filled with
oblong spirals. Below the headdress are the facial features of the mask 䁉⯝▵՞༶䁉⏟ַǯ
with the double-circles representing the eyes. The outer circles of the
✄Ӭ❥ক✄Հ❥⎏எ۬ㅻभ卿ᆨᎰ▵՞℡㬷⎏Ӭ⢑⢑भ卿࣊
eyes are drilled using tubular tools, while the inner circles are incised.
The corners of the eyes are incised with additional triangular elements. ➯ࢇ⎏ Ⱞ᳜▵ᇯ ǯ
Low-relief technique was employed to carve the slightly projecting
wide nose filled with three sets of cloud-scrolls. ✄Ӳ❥▵՞㬷⡠ক✄Ӭ❥Ӭ⯎ǯ
The second tier is carved with an animal mask in shallow relief. The Ⱞ᳜ᙔࢇ᚝ឆℱ↼սӬ❥卻▵՞㬷⡠卼ǮՀ❥卻▵՞℡㬷⡠
double circles drilled by tubular tools are larger than those of the भἃӬ⢑卼Ǯ୨❥卻▵՞℡㬷⡠ㅻभἃՀ⢑卼ἃ჎㇦ǯ⩧Ӳ❥卿
humanoid-deity masks. The main distinguishing feature is the oval
࣊▵՞℡㬷⡠ㅻभἃӬ⢑ݻ࠼▵՞㬷⡠⎏ᦔஎ卿㬳჎⧎㇦ǯ
eyelid on the outer edge of each eye, which is filled with finely incised
cloud-scrolls and connected to each other by an arched beam. The
ᡜᗌ⩠ऒ౗२⎏㏱ᙠヿᚺ卿᫉♎ᦔஎႫߛ⎏Ӳ❥Ⱞ᳜ℱ↼卿
nose is similarly carved using shallow relief much like that on the
ۣᝳ୨׾ǯ
humanoid-deity mask.
ݯӬἃ᱆ᮅ㱛ឿंྒྷ߅கԠℱ↼卻⤔⽚ἃ㱛ं . 卼
The imagery of tier one and tier two merges to form a humanoid-
deity and animal combined mask that is essentially a simplified 卻ॲː卼卿ᙃ㵲଍ᆨ卿ᦔஎႫߛ卿▵՞℡㬷எ᧙卿⯝ទℱ↼
representation of a ‘Liangzhu Shaman’. ఫទӬ⯎卿ֿஙՀ㙣ᨕ߃ᨯԠ㧿卿ক℡㬷␓⑷ӳតߴ㱈࣍㫡

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