Jade. China, Late Western Zhou to Eastern Zhou period, 10th to 4thcentury BC三瑪瑙環, 一瑪瑙玦, 西周時代晚期到東周時代, 公元前10世紀－前4世紀

DIAMETERS: 4.9/4.8/4/4.6 CM環直徑 4.9/4.8/4/4.6 厘米

The three faceted rings and one slit-ring in agate that form the small group presented here are items of personal adornment that were in fashion from the late Western Zhou to the Eastern Zhou period. They were fastened together, also with beads, to form pendants that produced a lovely tinkling sound.

The internal holes of the rings are faceted, while the convex rounded surfaces slope to the external edge, ending in a slightly irregular, but rounded and thinner perimeter: the somewhat irregular outlines and surfaces are evidence that they were crafted by hand. Although the surfaces are smooth, they present some texture, as they have not been polished to a high sheen.

The rings are mostly transparent with a lovely opaque quality. Noticeable rust-coloured and cloudier whitish filaments are present in various areas throughout, except for the slit-ring -which has very few, and the smallest ring- which only has a very small spot of white in the central, faceted area. There are some minor chips on the slit-ring.

Literature comparison/Archaeological sites: For two comparable rings in agate from the Robert H. Ellsworth collection, see Christie’s sale 11420, New York 19 March 2015, lot no.585: http://www.christies.com/lotfinder/lot/two-pale-agate-faceted-bracelets-china-late-5876642-details.aspx?from=salesummery&intObjectID=5876642&sid=c6e71fd6-749f-4820-b99c-e537a22014eb Compare also a group agate of rings and slit-rings published inF. Salviati, 4000 Years of Chinese Archaic Jades, Vienna 2017, no.235.

Expertise: Prof. Dr. Filippo Salviati

From an Italian collection

All jades in this catalogue have been professionally examined, authenticated and described by Prof. Fillipo 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.