Ancient Chinese Hongshan Jade Triangle Axe Head Amulet/Plaque w/Translation

Description

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Artifacts, Antiques & Fine Collect
i
bles
Ancient Chinese Jade Triangle Plaque
Ceremonial “
Yue
” Axe Blade with Offering Pictographs
English Translation of Inscription Characters
Hongshan Culture
c. 4500—2250 BC
“A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge,
long or short.  However, always it is great.”
—Shuo Wen (c. 100 AD)
NOTE:
William D. Houghton, the President of ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
, a State of Washington Licensed Business,
assumes all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.
Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.
Thank You!
SUMMARY
Name:
Hongshan Jade Yue Axe Plaque
Material:
Nephrite Jade, Triangle shape
Approximate Measurements:
·
Height:
2.76” (70mm)
·
Width:
3.31” (84mm)
·
Depth:
.68” (17mm)
·
Weight:
4.2. oz. (120 gr.)
·
Diameter of Center Hole:
.56” (14mm)
Est. Age:
Hongshan Culture (4500 BC—2250 BC)
Condition: Museum quality! In “as found” condition with minor pitting and mineral deposits on period correct abraded jade surface.
It has been professional cleaned to reveal the stunning beauty of the jade and remains in good, museum-quality condition with no breaks, repairs, or restorations.
The jade does show differential weathering that is consistent with being buried for over 5,000 years.
Based upon the style and in comparison with known museum examples, this jade plaque dates to Neolithic China, which is approximately 4500 BC—2250 BC.
Chinese experts estimate that it was made during the Neolithic Culture of ancient China about 5,000 years-ago!
Provenance/History:
This small, jade plaque was reportedly part of the same tomb/temple offerings as several, much larger jade axes/plaques that are listed separately on my eBay store.
These jade objects have been in a private collection in China and then Hong Kong.
DETAILS
This ancient Chinese axe-head blade (classified in Chinese as a type of a
Yue
Axe II) is made of nephrite jade and is dates approximately to the Hongshan Culture over 5,000 years-ago!
It has a large center hole that represents the immortal afterlife of Heaven (in Chinese
Tian
) and several, much smaller characters percussively pecked and abraded in extremely low relief on both sides of the blade.
The triangle shape is significant because that is the Chinese character “
Chi
” and it means “a junction of different elements, a notion of union or assembly.
The three lines “
San
” is not only the number 3, but also the number of Heaven (Tian), Earth, and Mankind. {Wieger, pgs. 29 & 45.
In ancient China, symbolic jade objects were thought to be able to assist the souls of deceased on their journey to eternal life with their Ancestors in
Tian
.
The ancient Chinese considered jade the most precious of all materials, prizing it more than gold, silver or bronze. Sophisticated jade and lapidary production techniques had already been mastered by the Neolithic era, and the love of jade, which some anthropologists consider a defining characteristic of Chinese culture, has endured until the present day.
The lower section of the plaque has been grooved and drilled with two, small attachment holes. These holes are classified as “double-bevel holes” and is period correct in every way.
Under magnification, one can see they was made with a stone drill, driven by hand at slow speed from both sides of the amulet.
Earliest jades came in the form of ritual implements (such as axes (
yue
),
bi
discs, blades (
ge
) and
cong
tubes), articles of personal adornment, small carvings, and various types of blades. The latter were used as weapons in Neolithic times because jade is a very hard stone, but small blades like this one served more as badges of office and emblems of rank.
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF PHOTOGRAPHIC CHARACTERS
Note:
I assume all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.
Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.
Thank You!
The center hole is classified by experts as
“double-bevel hole” and is period correct in every way.
Under magnification, one can see it was made with a stone drill driven by hand at slow speed.
On the holes inside walls, one can see tiny, pictographic images that were incised inside the hole, including those of a Dragon, Son holding a flint axe (the sign of an animal sacrifice), and a Grandson (which is the symbol for descendants or genealogy).
These characters were meant only for the eyes of the Ancestors and not for human eyes that were considered unworthy.
On the lower sides of the axe, there are several incredibly early Chinese graphics that have been percussively pecked into the hard jade.
They are some of the first written symbols ever used in Neolithic China.
Here is my best translation of some of the perhaps 35+ graphics:
•
Dragons.
There are several Fire-Breathing Dragons pictographs that have been pecked an incised around the center hole.
Dragons are also revered for their ability to transport humans to the celestial realms after death.
(See photos 4-5 and in # 5 I've put a red circle around the Fire-Ball coming out of the jaws of the Dragon.)  WOW!!
•
Several Sons with flint axes that have killed beasts in ritual sacrifices to the Ancestors.
•
Many Sacrificed Beasts.
•
A large Dragon with a Water Dragon next to him!  (
See photos # 7-8. I've highlighted the Large Dragon in Blue on the left, facing to the right with his jaws open.  Below him on the right, I've drawn an arrow pointing to the Water Dragon--he looks like a Sea-Horse with his pointed head and curved tail.
•
Ancestor’s Footprint.
•
Ancestors depicted as stick figure diving headfirst from the Heavens to accept the offerings being presented to him/her.
•
There are perhaps an additional 30+ characters that are too tiny and faint for me to identify pecked into this jade axe. This is perhaps a prayer for the departed as they begin their journey to
Tian
to live eternally with their ancestors.
(See photos # 9-12.}
Jade seems to have had a particular role and position in the Hongshan to Shang Cultures as it is the principal and often the sole type of burial good. All the types of jades appear to have been of a ritual nature either being worn or placed directly on the body, or attached to wooden staffs or walls like this plaque was designed for.
In the minds of the early Chinese people, a Dragon was a god that embodied the will and ideals of the Chinese people. It is said that the dragon is a large-scaled reptile, which can become dark or bright, large, or small, long or short, and fly into the sky in the spring and live underwater in the fall.
It seems that the dragon is capable of doing almost anything.
Traditionally, the dragons were considered the governors of rainfalls in Chinese culture. They had the power to decide where and when it would rain. They also believed kings of water dragons lived in dragon palaces under the ocean. The Chinese sign for the dragon appeared during the Yin and Shang dynasties (16th-11th century BC -- the period of the earliest Chinese hieroglyphs), between inscriptions on bones and turtle shields. The inscriptions depicted a horned reptile, with teeth, scales and sometimes even claws.
In ancient China, nobody had any doubt about the existence of dragons. People showed great respect for any depictions of dragons—weather they were in paintings, carvings, or writings. As a result, the dragon became the symbol of the Chinese nation. All people in China, including the emperor, prostrated themselves before the image of a dragon with reverence and awe. As a result, this fictional creature became the spiritual sustenance for the nation first as the totem of a tribe and then as the symbol of the nation. Eventually, the dragon became the symbol on the national flag of the last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese people considered themselves the descendants of the dragon. As the emblem of the emperor and imperial command, the legend of the Chinese dragon permeates the ancient Chinese civilization and has shaped its culture. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness, and blessings.
REFERENCES:
·
The Ancestral Landscape
, David N. Knightley, 2000
·
Chinese Characters,
Dr. L. Wieger, S.J.
·
The Great Bronze Age of China
:
An Exhibition from the People’s Republic of China
, edited by Wen Fong, 1980
·
Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC
·
Ancient Chinese Warfare
, Ralph D. Sawyer, Mei-chün Sawyer
·
Archaeology
, Archaeological Institute of America, Feb/March 2015
·
Shanghai Museum, China
·
Museum of Chinese History, Beijing, China
·
National Palace Museum, Taipei, Taiwan
·
British Museum
·
Smithsonian Museum, Sackler & Freer Gallery, WDC
NOTE:
Please note that there are hundreds of modern reproduction axes for sale on eBay from China and the USA, but nearly all are modern fakes, and some aren’t even jade.
So please ensure that you are bidding on the real thing if that is what you want before you bid.
If you only want a reproduction piece for a few dollars that is simply fine, just be sure you are getting the quality and authenticity you are paying for.
Please examine the macro photos carefully as they are part of the description.
The stand and the AA battery are not part of the auction, just included to give you a better perspective.
And please ask any questions before you buy.
International Buyers are responsible for all import duties, import taxes, shipping charges and insurance costs.
International Returns are
NOT
accepted.
Note:
Please ask any questions you may have before you bid!  Thanks for Looking!