A RARE ARCHAIC DARK GREEN JADE CEREMONIAL BLADE (DAO) NEOLITHIC PERIOD |

thinly carved, of a nearly trapezoidal form with a long straight edge opposite a gently curved, beveled cutting edge, pierced near the top with two apertures, the softly polished stone of a blackish olive-green color

Collection of Stephen Junkunc, III (d. 1978).

There are evident chips and nicks to the front edge of the blade, the longest being a u-shape approx 2 cm long. The surface with expected wear overall and scattered nicks to edges consistent with age and type.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Ceremonial blades carved from jade form an important object category among jade-working Neolithic cultures. The present simple and plain blade with its carefully beveled cutting edge is carved from a very dark green, almost black jade. It is closely related to a group of similar jade ceremonial blades discovered in Shenmu Shimao, Shaanxi province in the 20th century, that have been dated to between the late Neolithic and Shang period. See, for instance, two Hongshan Culture dark green jade blades discovered in Shimao, illustrated in Dai Yingxin, 'Reconnaissances of a Lungshan Site at Shih-mao in Shen-mu County, Shensi Province', Kaogu, no. 3, Beijing, 1977, p. 156, figs 1 and 2.

Compare two larger blades in the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, published in Harold Peterson, Chinese Jades: Archaic and Modern from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, London, 1977, pls. 45-47; one in the Tianjin City Art Museum, published in Yang Boda, ed., Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], vol. 1, Shijiazhuang, 2005, no. 53, where the author notes its similarities to the excavated examples from Shimao. For auctioned examples, see a large dark green jade blade from the collection of Max Loehr, sold in our Paris rooms, 15th December 2016, lot 43; and another, attributed to Shimao Culture, formerly in the Yang De Tang Collection, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28th November 2018, lot 2711.