Lot 100, Auction 4/12/2026: Chinese Neolithic Qijia Nephrite Jade Dao Blade

$845.00

In stock

East Asia, China, Late Neolithic period, Qijia culture, ca. 2100 to 1600 BCE. A Chinese nephrite jade dao blade from the Qijia culture presents a restrained yet powerful expression of early ceremonial weaponry, where stone, status, and symbolism converge. The blade is thin and gently arced, its elongated rectangular form pierced with a series of drilled perforations along the spine, indicating attachment to a haft or ceremonial mount rather than use as a cutting tool. The surface displays the characteristic mottled tones of ancient nephrite, ranging from deep charcoal to cloudy brown and olive hues, with natural inclusions and mineral veining that animate the stone. These variations were not flaws but valued qualities, evidence of the material’s origin and vitality. The edges are carefully ground but not sharpened, reinforcing the interpretation of the object as symbolic rather than utilitarian. Size: 7.3″ L x 2″ W (18.5 cm x 5.1 cm)

Dao blades of this type belong to a broader Neolithic tradition in which jade objects functioned as markers of authority, ritual power, and social distinction. In Qijia culture contexts, jade was associated with elite identity and ancestral rites, its durability and luminosity embodying ideals of permanence and moral virtue. The labor required to quarry, shape, drill, and polish nephrite underscores the blade’s importance within a hierarchical society.

Likely deposited in a high-status burial or used in ceremonial display, this jade dao stands at the threshold between tool and emblem. It reflects a moment when weapons were transformed into symbols, and stone became a medium for expressing order, prestige, and the emerging structures of early Chinese civilization.

Condition: Some small chips and nicks to surface with abraded areas as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and very nice with lustrous surface.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection, before 2000

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