Download FOREWARD I am very pleased to introduce the

FOREWARD
I am very pleased to introduce the carefully selected group of Chinese archaic jades presented in this
auction which covers a wide time span, from the Neolithic (4​th​ - 3​rd​ millennium BC) to the Western Han
dynasty (206 BC – AD 9) and includes some very fine and exceptionally rare carved jades of the Eastern
Zhou (770-221 BC).
The Neolithic period is well represented by a group of jades that can be safely assigned to the Liangzhu
culture, which flourished in southern-eastern China from c.3300 to c.2200 BC. In addition to a classic,
though wonderful example of a ​bi​ disc which exhibits a complex texture enlivened by the natural
alterations of the stone that cover part of the surface and run along the fissures of the crystal aggregates,
this Liangzhu jade group also includes some rarer items, such as a cylinder-shaped ​cong​ with simplified
masks carved on the side and a three-pronged ornament decorated with a mask in low relief. The
exceptional skill of the Liangzhu craftsmen who were able to work such a hard material is also exemplified
by the small ​cong​-shaped bead decorated with finely detailed masks and the extremely accurate polishing
of the jade axe whose surface has acquired an almost mirror-like finish.
Other objects from the Neolithic period are body ornaments of various types which include the hollowed
tube attributed to the Hongshan culture (c.3500-2500 BC), the set of slit rings in whitened jade which were
probably used as earrings (3​rd​ millennium BC), the very thin bracelet in altered jade that I have tentatively
assigned to the Lingjiatan culture (c.3600-3300 BC), and a beautiful ring with a fluted, concave side that is
smooth as silk to the touch, and most likely crafted in southern China sometime in the 3​rd​ millennium BC.
Last but not least, four jades made by the cultures which developed in north-west China and a ​bi​ disc with a
glossy shine show the diffusion of the jade carving tradition at the end of the Neolithic period to areas
beyond the eastern coastal regions, where jade was worked since the 4​th​ millennium BC. The jades from
Neolithic north-west China are carved from a larger variety of raw materials than those of their eastern
counterparts and are usually best appreciated when the light filters through them, thus enhancing the
subtle variations of the colours. Remarkable additions to the group of jades presented here are the fine
bird of the late Shang period (c.1300-1100 BC) from the collection of the late Prof. Klaus Müller and the
chisel in black stone dated to the late Neolithic period that belonged to Prof. Max Loehr (1903-1988).
The section dedicated to the Eastern Zhou period includes a variety of different typologies that illustrate
the wide spectrum of jade forms and the skills of the carvers who decorated these ornaments with the
finest details. The 5​th​ century BC double-ring pendant and the cylindrical bead, carved during the Spring and
Autumn period (c.771-476 BC), are small items that were often combined with other jades in composite
ornaments. The same can be said for the agate ring with fluted sides, which represents the only non-jade
object in this group: agate rings were popular from the Eastern Zhou to the Han periods and the example
presented here is carved from a very fine quality of agate with jade-like colours, shades and translucency.
However, the most important Spring and Autumn jade is definitely the large 5​th​ century BC dragon-shaped
pendant with a ring and a curled snake near the tail: this extraordinary ornament, whose fine details can be
admired through the detailed photographs in the Galerie Zacke website, matches a pair of similar dragons
in the collections of the Musée Guimet in Paris. Remarkable for their relative rarity are also the small
dragon-shaped ornament and the arched pendant decorated with the so-called ‘twisted-rope pattern’.
Seven of the Eastern Zhou jades presented here are particularly interesting because they match, or are very
similar to, jades discovered in the 2​nd​ century BC tomb of Zhao Mo, the second ruler of the southern
Nanyue kingdom whose undisturbed tomb was excavated in Guangzhou in 1983. These jades include the
large ​bi​ disc with a pattern of small hexagons in low relief, the ​huang​ arched pendant with dragon heads at
the extremities, and the pommel and the scabbard chape, with a dragon in full relief, which were standard
ornaments for the swords of nobles during the late Eastern Zhou and early Western Han periods. Jades
which closely match ones placed in the tomb of Zhao Mo are the fine ​xi​ dragon-shaped pendant carved in
pure white jade and the ​pei​ openwork ornament with two rampant, confronted dragons. Instead, the
extremely delicate tiger-shaped plaque, similar to others in famous world collections, belongs to a type
attested amongst the jades recovered from the grave of the Nanyue King.
To facilitate the examination of the minutest details of these finely carved jades, on this occasion I have
also made available the working photographs I took when closely studying the jades: these have been
photographed in full daylight, since this is the way they were always meant to be seen and admired in
ancient China. The rays of the sun reflect on the surfaces of the jades, highlight all the subtleties of the
carving and exalt the inner radiance of the stone: nothing is hidden and everyone can see the quality of the
work of the anonymous carvers of ancient China. These photographs represent a new concept and a new
way of showing archaic Chinese jades in the digital era: I am glad to share them here with all those who
appreciate and collect these fascinating objects of the distant past.
Prof. Filippo Salviati
---------NOTE
The jades presented in this auction have been thoroughly examined and vetted for authenticity by Prof.
Filippo Salviati of Sapienza University, Rome, who has acted as our expert on Chinese archaic jades for
many years. His new book, ​The Mysterious Stone. Chinese Archaic Jades from Private Collections​, Edition
Zacke, is due to be published in the forthcoming month of April. Salviati has also recently authored an essay
on the jades from the Samuel and Myrna Myers collection: “Radiant Stones”, in J.P. Desroches (ed.), ​Two
Americans in Paris. A Quest for Asian Art​, Paris 2016, pp.21-96. The Myers collection was recently
presented at the Museum of Pointe-à-Callière, Montreal, in the exhibition T​ erre d’Asie /​ ​From the Lands of
Asia​, 17 November 2016 -19 March 2017.