Ancient Neolithic Chinese Ritual Jade Blade with 2 Spirit Ancestors 3000-2250 BC

Description

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Ancient Art, Antiques, & Fine Collectibles
Neolithic Chinese Ritual Jade Trapezoidal Offering Plaque
Two Spirit Ancestors Separated by a Portal to Heaven
Partial Translation of Ancient Chinese Characters
Hongshan Culture
c. 3000 BC— 2250 BC
A gentleman always carried a jade pendant, as a symbol of class and to remind him the virtues of a gentleman, since those virtues were found in jade
.
—Confucius
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 insure 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 just fine, just be sure you are getting the quality and authenticity you are paying for.
Name:
Ritual Jade of Two Spirit Ancestors
Material:
Nephrite Jade (abraded), trapezoidal shape
Approximate Measurements:
·
Size:
10.6” (27 cm) long x 4.75” (12 cm) wide x .43” (11 cm) thick
·
Weight:
1.73 lb. (783 gr.)
Origin:
Liaoning, Xibenbaoleng in Northern China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region
Est. Age:
Hong Shang Culture (3000 BC—2250 BC)
Condition: Museum quality! In “as found” condition with and earthen deposits on period correct abraded jade surface.
Based upon the style and in comparison with known museum examples, this jade pendant dates to Neolithic China, which is approximately 3000 BC—2250 BC.
Chinese experts estimate that it was made during the Neolithic Culture of ancient China about 4,000 years ago!
I Guarantee it to be authentic and original!
It will appraise as such by any ancient Chinese expert collector or museum!
It has been 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 heavy pitting and differential weathering that is consistent with being buried for over 4000 years.
###########################################################################
Provenance/History:
This jade “Two Ancestors” plaque was reportedly part of the same tomb/temple offerings as three other jade axes that is listed separately on my eBay store.
The four jade objects have
been in a private collection in China and then Hong Kong.
Undocumented reports suggest they were discovered by farmers in Inner Mongolia and have been in private collections.
This example was reportedly recovered in Liaoning, Xibenbaoleng in Inner Mongolia.
Excavated on private property near a in Hongshan Culture Site in Inner Mongolia’s Autonomous Region.
DETAILS
This Neolithic Jade Plaque with “Two Spirit Ancestors” is well-balanced with two ancestors on either side of a cone-shaped, suspension hole that is believed to represent a portal to heaven (“
Tien
” in Chinese).
These Two Ancestors are symbolically represented with triangle-shaped heads with two horns, a curved body, and three legs.
This symbol for an ancestor was used
before
the earliest Chinese characters were used to form a written language that we now call Ku’wen.
There are two animals at each end of the 10.6” (27 cm) long trapezoidal shaped plaque that are believed to represent dogs as they have four legs and a long tail.
Chinese dogs, pigs, oxen, rams and other animals used as ritual sacrifices in ancient times are called "Xi Sheng."
Ritual jade objects such as this Two Ancestors Plaque were made to honor royal ancestors and as offering to the Gods.  I believe this jade plaque was meant as a ritual object that would have accompanied the ritual sacrifice of the two dogs that are depicted at the terminal ends of the plaque.
As early as 4,000 BC, ritual jade objects and beautifully decorated vessels for food and wine were placed in the tombs of the deceased to invoke blessings on the living.
These sacrifices of precious jade and of animals were meant to scare away Evil Spirits, who were thought to inhabit both Heaven (
Tien
) and Earth.
The souls of the departed were thought to embark upon a dangerous journey to the afterlife and such precious sacrifices were thought to appease the gods and ancestors, and to welcome the spirit of the departed into Heaven.
On both the obverse and the reverse sides of the jade plaque are very small (4-5 mm) tall pictographic characters called “graphs” (words or symbols) that are the earliest form of writing.
Some graphs are coming out of their mouths as if they are speaking.
The characters are heavily worn and encrusted, but I can make out a small, stick figure of a man with a round head that is the Oracle Bone and Large Seal Script pictographs for “Son,” “Speak,” and “Ancestors.”
So this plaque was designed to speak directly to the gods and ancestors.
Amazing!!
The stylistic and technical advances in abrading jade as well as the dedication symbols and graphs cut into the sides of the plaque, suggest that this piece was crafted during the late Hongshan Culture of Neolithic China.
Nephrite is found within metamorphic rocks in mountains. As the rocks weather, the boulders of nephrite break off and are washed down to the foot of the mountain, from where they are retrieved.
JADE in Ancient China
Jade was highly prized by these early civilizations in China and it was thought to have positive energy to drive away evil spirits and bring good luck and fortune to all who wore a piece on their person--in life and in death. Jade was also believed to be a portal or messenger that could carry prayers to Heaven and send messages to those on Earth from departed ancestors and Gods in Heaven.
This large, ritual jade blade was made as an offering to the Gods and Ancestors in about 2500 BC.  Offerings such as this stunning jade blade/axe (called a
Ge
in Chinese) were thought to allow the spirit of the departed warrior elite to enter Heaven and enjoy an eternal life.  Jade was thought to frighten off Evil Spirits that would try to prevent the spirit from entering Heaven.
Here is a contemporary quote from the ancient Zhou King Ji Fa.
{see full translation below}
"At dawn on the Jiazi day, the {Zhou} King {Ji Fa} went out early to the plain of Mu on the outskirts of the Shang capital, and held an oath-taking. He held a large axe {yellow with gold} in his left hand, and a standard decorated with a white yak's tail in his right, and said, "
We have come a long way, people of the west!"
The King then said,
"Ah! Lords and ministers of my allied states, chief ministers, ministers of war, ministers of works, ya and lu officials, generals, commanders of a thousand men and commanders of a hundred men; people of Yong, Shu, Qiang, Mao, Hui, Lu, Peng, and Pu: {tribes}
Raise your ge, draw in your shields, lift your spears erect, and take this oath with me….."
{Prelude to the Battle at Muye, late 11th century BC.
Bamboo Annals
chronology 1027BC.}
In ancient China, the production of jade and bronze ceremonial pieces was strictly regulated by the elite society, warlords, and the emperor.
The String-sawing Technique in Jade Processing,
by Tang Chung
The string-sawing technique of using a gritted string to cut jade is over 8,000 years-old.
This technique that emerged in Northeast China is by far the earliest technique of its kind and was more than 5,000 years ahead of that found in Central America.
Archaeological discoveries have revealed that the technique originated in northeast China and spread in every direction.
Sand is rubbed into a string made of pelt or plant fiber, and then water is added to the string, which is then moved back and forth under downward pressure against the jade.
There were at least two ways of applying this technique in antiquity—the string could either be mounted onto a bow or held by both hands.
This plaque has three holes on the top edge that are classified as "conical bore holes" by anthropologists (see photos # 3, 6, & 9).
Each of the holes is round and was drilled by hand with a slow-speed drill.
They are period correct and show the growth of tiny micro-crystals of jade inside the bore holes that can only happen after a piece of carved jade has been buried for thousands of years.
These tiny crystals almost look like white powder and should never be cleaned off or removed.
These holes were made so the plaque could be attached around a person’s neck or to his waist.
{REF: "JADE" by Roger Keverne, pg. 57. This is an excellent reference book that can be found on eBay and is a must for all serious jade collectors.}
In ancient China, this jade amulet would have been placed in the tomb or temple of the departed by his family to protect him or her from evil spirits on his journey to the afterlife and to allow him/her to enter Heaven.
It would also show the ancestors and spirits that he was a wealthy and honorable person and that he had Mandarins that could speak to the Heavens for him.
Objects such as this jade axe would likely take several months of hard work by a highly skilled artist to make.
These artists would work full-time as skilled craftsmen and would be supported by their wealthy patrons.
The Hongshan Culture (3500 BC—2200 BC)
It was long believed that Chinese civilization began in the Yellow River valley, but we now know that there were many earlier cultures both to the north and south of this area. From about 3800–2700 B.C.E. a group of Neolithic peoples known now as the Hongshan culture lived in the far north-east, in what is today Liaoning province and Inner Mongolia.
Hongshan means “Red Mountain,” after a site in Inner Mongolia.
The Hongshan were a sophisticated society that built impressive ceremonial sites. Jade was obviously highly valued by the Hongshan; artifacts made of jade were sometimes the only items placed in tombs along with the body of the deceased.
The Hongshan Culture people lived along the banks of the Liao River in what is now Liaoning Province in northern China.
There were also communities of this culture in Inner Mongolia, south of the Xilamulan River.
These ritual jade axes/plaques were found by farmers in Inner Mongolia.
These jade objects were made for society’s elite and are believed to allow the souls of the departed to travel safely to eternity in Heaven (
Tien
).
REFERENCES
Museum of Chinese History, Beijing
The Ancestral Landscape
, David N. Knightley, 2000
The Great Bronze Age of China
, edited by Wen Fong, MET, 1980
Changhua Annals of the Republic of China
(1911–1949)
British Museum,
Jessica Rawson
Smithsonian Museum, Sackler & Freer Gallery, WDC
MET, New York
Zhan Academy.org
History
This
Ge
has a single hole drilled in the center of the trapezoidal axe that are classified as "cone-shaped hole" by anthropologists (see photos) and three, small attachment cone holes drilled along the top edge.
These hole were drilled by hand from one sides of the blade with a slow-speed drill.
The holes are period correct and shows the growth of tiny micro-crystals of jade inside the bore holes that can only happen after a piece of carved jade has been buried for thousands of years.
These tiny crystals almost look like white powder and should never be cleaned off or removed.
The hole was made so a person could attach the precious jade
ge
around his neck or to his waist.
{REF: "
JADE
" by Roger Keverne, pg. 57. This is an excellent reference book that can be found on eBay.}
In ancient China, this jade axe would have been placed in the tomb or temple of the departed by his family to protect him or her from evil spirits on his journey to the afterlife and to allow him/her to enter Heaven.
It would also show the ancestors and spirits that he was a wealthy and honorable person and that he had Mandarins that could speak to the Heavens for him.
HISTORIC CHINESE JADE
The jade amulet blade called a "Ge" in Chinese, was one of the most important symbols in an elite burial tomb. In one famous burial tomb that contained 330 burial offerings, there were 44 stone and 12 jade axes. Jade axes were usually placed on the right side of the upper body in the tomb.{Ref: “
A Companion to Chinese Archaeology
”  edited by Anne P. Underhill}
This wonderful Jade Amulet is shaped like an dagger and is decorated with a small suspension hole at the top that would allow a silk cord to be attached to the axe so it could be worn around the neck or more likely waist.  The stone axe or blade was a common tool in ancient China, but these Jade blades were for ritual use only and can be found buried with their owners in ancient tombs.  Chinese and Western experts believe these ritual axes (or "
yu
" in Chinese) denoted military authority when placed in a tomb.
Research on ritual jade daggers from China, reveal just how these lovely blades were made. The first step involved cutting the raw material into pieces with stone or bamboo saws and string saws soaked in a slurry of jade dust.  Then the pieces were ground and abraded to a proper shape, as jade does not flake like flint.  Next, a round hole was drilled in the top of the ge using a small bamboo tube. Finally, the jade was carefully polished and inspected before its delivery and presentation to its wealthy and powerful owner.
As noted jade expert Jessica Rawson explains, later Neolithic blades are thinner and more refined.
The Chinese word for jade is
“yu”
and this jade ritual axe is made from ancient nephrite jade that has been beautifully crafted in a fantastic cultural masterpiece.   Interestingly, jade is the one really hard material available in Neolithic China during pre-metal times, but which was not used for tools that could have benefited most from its use.   It easily dates to 4,000 or 5,000 years old.
It is made of pure Nephrite jade and has a wonderful, authentic patina from the iron and minerals in the soil that it was in contact with for 4,000 years!  It also is pitted from differential weathering and has white calcification from the salts that have leached into the jade--all clear indicators of an authentic and original piece.
This is completely natural and is perhaps the best clue to look for in determining the age of jade.
I have carefully examined and authenticated this ritual Jade Axe as 100% authentic and original!
It will appraise as such by any knowledgeable Chinese jade expert or museum.
I GUARANTEE it to be 100% authentic or your money back!
NOTE:  For reference on how to purchase authentic archaic jade, may I refer you to an excellent book published in 2009 by Stephen Payne called "
How to Purchase Archaic Jade.
" He shows in great detail how the experts determine the age and date of ancient Chinese Jade. This book is well worth the price if you are just starting your collection or if you are a seasoned "expert."
Please look carefully at the photos, since they are part of the description and show how the artist has made this magical amulet come to life!
It would make a
wonderful
addition to your collection or a Super gift!
And please ask any questions before you buy.
I
GUARANTEE
this pendant to be original and authentic or your money back!  Thanks!
Note:
Please ask any questions you may have before you bid!  Thanks for Looking!
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