Jade. China, Late Neolithic period, Hongshan culture, c.3500-2500 BC 玉猪龍 - 新石器時代晚期, 紅山文化, 約公元前3500-2500年 This is a typical example of a Hongshan zhulong 猪龍 or “pig dragon”, as this mysterious creature is popularly known. The object is simple in form, almost recalling the shape of the pebble from which it was carved: the dragon has a richly detailed head with the typical, slightly bulging eyes surmounted by a crest, a snout rendered with carved grooves and a slit that represents the mouth. The central hole in the jade gives the object its characteristic c-shape, while a smaller perforation, drilled from both sides in the upper section behind the head, was used to suspend the dragon-shaped pendant. The jade is smooth and thoroughly polished, mostly on the side of the “pig-dragon” where the stone has retained its original light green colour: the other side and the central vertical strip that crosses the facial features along the profile have turned an opaque russet colour with various striations of white and patches of dark brown and amber. Compare a slightly bigger dragon published in J. Rawson, Chinese Jade. From the Neolithic to the Qing, London 1995, no.1:4 and a second one in the Sam and Myrna Myers collection illustrated in F. Salviati, The Language of Adornment, Paris 2002 no.5. For additional examples of small Hongshan coiled dragons, see F. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, nos.10-13. Provenance: From an old Austrian collection LENGTH 5.5 CM - WIDTH 4.5 CM 長 5.5 厘米 -寬4.5 厘米 Expertise: Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and dated by Univ. Prof. Filippo Salviati. Professor Salviati teaches Chinese and Korean art at Sapienza University in Rome, in the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies. He is a world expert on archaic Chinese jades, having released multiple publications and being cited by renowned auction houses such as Sotheby’s.