Lot 20, Auction 3/19/2026: Chinese Neolithic Nephrite Jade Cong Core – Qijia

$1,560.00

In stock

East Asia, China, Neolithic period, Qijia culture, ca. 2100 to 1600 BCE. A quiet survivor of early Chinese ingenuity, this nephrite jade tube/ cong core offers rare insight into the technical mastery and material ambition of the Qijia culture during the late Neolithic period. Carved from dark, variegated nephrite with subtle olive and brown tonal shifts, the object takes the form of a tapered cylinder with a distinct circumferential ridge marking the point where drilling was advanced from opposing ends. This feature identifies the piece as a tube core, the cylindrical remnant left behind after hollowing jade to create ritual tubes, beads, or other prestige objects. Such remnants were typically discarded, making surviving examples especially uncommon. The surface bears the unmistakable evidence of ancient labor. Fine abrasion marks, softened edges, and areas of mineral encrustation testify to the prolonged grinding and drilling required to work nephrite, one of the hardest materials known to Neolithic craftspeople. Size: 7″ L x 2″ Diameter (17.8 cm x 5.1 cm)

The stone retains a muted polish in places, suggesting repeated contact with abrasive tools and slurry over extended periods.

Qijia jade production represents an important transitional moment in Chinese material culture, bridging earlier Neolithic traditions with the increasingly complex jade industries of the Bronze Age. Objects fashioned from jade were closely associated with ritual practice, social hierarchy, and cosmological belief, and even a byproduct such as this core reflects the cultural value placed on precision, endurance, and controlled transformation of natural materials. Today, this jade tube core stands not as a finished ornament, but as an eloquent trace of process. It preserves the negative space of an object once intended for symbolic use, offering a direct and tangible connection to the hands, tools, and time invested by Neolithic artisans over four millennia ago.

Condition: Some nicks, chipping ,and abrasions, as shown, all commensurate with age. Otherwise, intact and excellent.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection, before 2000

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