China, c. 3500-2500 BC. The tubular form flaring towards the sloping top in the form of a horse hoof (mati), cut across at an oblique angle forming an arched profile to the rim, the narrower end pierced with two holes. The translucent stone of a variegated green and light brown color with darker speckles and russet veining.

Provenance: From the collection of Paolo Bertuzzi. Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022) was a fashion stylist from Bologna, Italy. He was the son of Enrichetta Bertuzzi, founder of Hettabretz, a noted Italian fashion company with customers such as the Rothschild family, Audrey Hepburn, and Elizabeth Taylor. Paolo Bertuzzi later took over his mother’s business and designed exclusive pieces, some of which were exhibited in the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York, USA. He was also an avid collector of antiques for more than 60 years. His collection includes both archaic and contemporary art, and he edited two important books about Asian art, Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery, about a large-scale archaeological project carried out with the Italian and Indonesian governments, and Majapahit, Masterpieces from a Forgotten Kingdom.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear, few minuscule nibbles to the edges, the upper and lower rim uneven, the stone with few natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 264.6 g
Dimensions: Height 12.9 cm

Expert’s note (added 20.2.2023): See the Hongshan period tomb excavated from Niuheliang on exhibit in the Prehistory Gallery of the Liaoning Museum. Excavated examples of the present lot are usually found behind the head of buried individuals, suggesting either a form of hair decoration or an implement to prevent the head of the deceased from touching the ground (see image section). See also Childs-Johnson, Elizabeth, “Jades of the Hongshan Culture: The Dragon and Fertility Cult Worship.” Arts Asiatiques 46 (1991): 82–95.

Large jade ornaments of this specific form were a product of the Hongshan culture, and examples have been recovered at the Niuheliang burial site in Liaoning province. While generally referred to as headpieces, Jenny F. So has recently suggested that they may have been worn on the forearm to protect the arm and wrist (Jenny F. So, Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 2019, page 74). She cites an example worn on the forearm of the occupant of Site III at Niuheliang, and another recovered from the Bronze Age burial site at Dadianzi, in present-day inner Mongolia.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Bonhams Los Angeles, 21 June 2022, lot 30
Price: USD 7,650 or approx. EUR 7,400 converted at the time of writing
Description: A yellowish-celadon jade hoof-shaped ornament, Neolithic period, Hongshan culture
Expert remark: Compare the related plain form. Note the smaller size (8.6 cm) and yellowish-celadon color.



紅山文化青玉馬蹄形配飾
中國，公元前約 3500-2500 年。管狀物件向上傾斜，頂部張開，如馬蹄狀，斜角切割，邊緣的拱形，較窄的一端穿有兩個孔。半透明石料，綠色和淺棕色紋理，帶有較深的斑點和黃褐色斑。

來源：Paolo Bertuzzi (1943-2022年) 收藏。Paolo Bertuzzi是來自義大利博洛尼亞的時尚造型師。他是 Hettabretz 的創始人 Enrichetta Bertuzzi 的兒子，Hettabretz 是一家著名的義大利時裝公司，客戶包括羅斯柴爾德家族、奧黛麗赫本和伊麗莎白泰勒。Paolo Bertuzzi 後來接手了他母親的生意並設計了獨家作品，其中一些作品在美國紐約大都會博物館服裝學院展出。六十多年來，他還是一位狂熱的古董收藏家。他的收藏包括古代和當代藝術，他編輯了兩本關於亞洲藝術的重要書籍，《Goa Made - An Archaeological Discovery》-關於義大利和印度尼西亞政府合作的大規模考古項目，以及《滿者伯夷-來自被遺忘王國的傑作》。
品相：品相極佳，輕微磨損，邊緣細微磕損，上下邊緣凹凸不平，輕微天然裂隙，部分裂隙隨著時間的推移可能發展成細小的裂紋。

重量：264.6 克
尺寸：高 12.9 厘米

這種特殊形式的大型玉器是紅山文化的產物，在遼寧省牛河梁墓葬遺址曾發現過一些相似物件。 雖然通常被認爲是頭飾，但 Jenny F. So 最近表認爲們可能曾被佩戴在前臂上以保護手臂和手腕（Jenny F. So，Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums，Cambridge，2019年，74頁 )。她舉了一個牛河梁遺址 III 的前臂佩飾例子，以及另一個在今內蒙古大甸子青銅時代墓葬遺址中發現的例子。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：洛杉磯邦瀚斯，2022年6月21日，lot 30
價格：USD 7,650（相當於今日EUR 7,400）
描述：紅山文化新石器時代青黃玉馬蹄形配飾
專家評論：比較相近的形式。請注意尺寸較小 (8.6厘米)，以及青黃色的玉石顏色。

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