Period:Unknown Production date:2500BC-2000BC
Materials:jade
Technique:incised, polished, bevelled, drilled,
Dimensions:Length: 33 centimetres Width: 8.20 centimetres
Description:
Ceremonial blade of dark olive green jade with large areas of brown mottling finished to a good gloss.
IMG
![图片[1]-blade; ceremonial equipment BM-2022-3034.79-China Archive](https://chinaarchive.net/Unknown/Jades/205_.jpg)
Comments:The large blade with a continuous central band of shallow vertical grooves with two central panels with finely incised stylised masks on either side enclosed within two grooves and two plait design bands. There are geometric scroll patterns and a central perforation is at the base of the tang. Neolithic. See Salmony 1938, Min Chiu 1985, Teng Shu’p’ing 1986, and Hayashi 1991g. This is a very imposing jade, by virtue of its size, its strong angular form, its colour and its smooth, almost perfect soft polish. Although the blade is almost rectangular in outline, its two sides spread very slightly outwards to a straight cutting edge, which has a steeply sloping bevelled section. It is probably no longer correct to describe the end as a cutting edge, as the blade is far removed from that of a functional tool. A hole near the butt is drilled from one side. The general form and the bevelled cutting edge resemble features of blades of the Longshan period, although similar jades continued in use into the Erlitou stage. This blade is specially remarkable for its decoration, which consists of two borders of twisted rope pattern in incised lines. Inside these are plain borders and then an area divided into three on both sides of the blade. The two outer thirds are finely ribbed. At the centre, much eroded, are face patterns, one of which clearly has eyes consisting of spiral whorls. It is, however, only possible to interpret the pattern as a face because related strange faces occur on a few other blades of similar form. These include one excavated example from Shandong Rizhao Liangchengzhen and two pieces in the NPM, Taipei. Around the whorl-shaped eyes are pointed arc designs, also seen on these other blades. On the other side the eyes are even less evident. If the blade is viewed with the butt held downwards, then above the rope pattern is a further design of hooks and scrolls. The present blade and the others are members of a very small group of exceptional decorated Longshan period blades. Only the one from Rizhao has any degree of reliable provenance; the others have probably been handed down over many generations. Others are in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Winthrop Collection at Harvard University and the Gugong Bowuyuan, Beijing. These blades can be linked to jades of other shapes, all dating to the late Neolithic period. The closest excavated comparisons are found in the Shijiahe culture in Hubei province. See Salmony 1938, pl.23:1
Materials:jade
Technique:incised, polished, bevelled, drilled,
Dimensions:Length: 33 centimetres Width: 8.20 centimetres
Description:
Ceremonial blade of dark olive green jade with large areas of brown mottling finished to a good gloss.
IMG
Comments:The large blade with a continuous central band of shallow vertical grooves with two central panels with finely incised stylised masks on either side enclosed within two grooves and two plait design bands. There are geometric scroll patterns and a central perforation is at the base of the tang. Neolithic. See Salmony 1938, Min Chiu 1985, Teng Shu’p’ing 1986, and Hayashi 1991g. This is a very imposing jade, by virtue of its size, its strong angular form, its colour and its smooth, almost perfect soft polish. Although the blade is almost rectangular in outline, its two sides spread very slightly outwards to a straight cutting edge, which has a steeply sloping bevelled section. It is probably no longer correct to describe the end as a cutting edge, as the blade is far removed from that of a functional tool. A hole near the butt is drilled from one side. The general form and the bevelled cutting edge resemble features of blades of the Longshan period, although similar jades continued in use into the Erlitou stage. This blade is specially remarkable for its decoration, which consists of two borders of twisted rope pattern in incised lines. Inside these are plain borders and then an area divided into three on both sides of the blade. The two outer thirds are finely ribbed. At the centre, much eroded, are face patterns, one of which clearly has eyes consisting of spiral whorls. It is, however, only possible to interpret the pattern as a face because related strange faces occur on a few other blades of similar form. These include one excavated example from Shandong Rizhao Liangchengzhen and two pieces in the NPM, Taipei. Around the whorl-shaped eyes are pointed arc designs, also seen on these other blades. On the other side the eyes are even less evident. If the blade is viewed with the butt held downwards, then above the rope pattern is a further design of hooks and scrolls. The present blade and the others are members of a very small group of exceptional decorated Longshan period blades. Only the one from Rizhao has any degree of reliable provenance; the others have probably been handed down over many generations. Others are in the Art Institute of Chicago, the Winthrop Collection at Harvard University and the Gugong Bowuyuan, Beijing. These blades can be linked to jades of other shapes, all dating to the late Neolithic period. The closest excavated comparisons are found in the Shijiahe culture in Hubei province. See Salmony 1938, pl.23:1
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