Throckmorton Fine Art is pleased to offer a collection of exquisite, if enigmatic, jade carvings from the dawn of Chinese civilization. These small, portable works of sculpture are from one prominent culture, Liangzhu, which was centered in southeast, coastal China during the late Neolithic era, from around 3300 to 2300 BCE.
Jade carvings from this culture fall into three categories: ornaments, to adorn both the body and clothes, weapons, especially axes, and ritual instruments, most notably cylinders called cong (ts’ung) and perforated disks called bi (pi). The sculptures are works of art: they were laboriously and finely carved, surely imbued with considerable meaning, and from being buried—in tombs—for centuries they have acquired a lovely patina. The surface of jade alters with time, especially when buried. Many of the jade carvings being offered, in fact, have turned a luminous white, from “oxidization.” The carvings were meant to be held and they remain inviting—they all but ask to be handled.
These jade carvings were the beginning of formal iconography in this culturally fertile region. Though the carvings are highly stylized, they embody—or represent—the emergence of a complex but organized belief system and, surely, the beginnings of social hierarchy in the all-important southern coastal area of China. These belief systems remain mysterious, impenetrable. These small sculptures are mystical and puzzling. They endure, though: they are timeless, witnesses to the beginnings of a great civilization. At the same time, however, their almost abstract form gives them a distinct air of modernity.
All lots will be made available to view in person during normal business hours, or by appointment outside those hours. Bidders are encouraged and advised to examine personally, prior to and during the auction, any lots in which they are interested. Final responsibility rests with the buyer to assess the condition of any item sold by Throckmorton Fine Art, Inc. All inquiries are welcome and additional pictures can be provided upon request.
All works offered have been examined by one or more published authorities in the field and all come with a certificate of authenticity. All works offered were imported into the U.S. prior to 2009 in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States and The People's Republic of China, and 19 CFR 12.104g(a), subject to the provisions of 19 U.S.C. 2606.
