Expert’s note: The present piece, carved with fifteen tiers of face masks, stands out as an exceptionally tall example of a Liangzhu jade cong. Its creation would have been a time-consuming endeavor, requiring the meticulous use of a substantial piece of jade. Each tier is intricately detailed, with the four corners adorned by circular motifs representing eyes, a raised rib below signifying the nose, and two slender parallel bands above indicating the crown. Large congs of this size are exceedingly rare, and those with fifteen tiers are particularly uncommon, highlighting the exceptional craftsmanship and significance of this piece.

China, c. 3300-2200 BC. Well carved, of square cross section surrounding a cylindrically hollowed tube to the center with rounded square corners, and tapering slightly toward the base. The sides are divided into fifteen registers with a stylized mask at each of the four corners, comprised of two long bars above a shorter bar and flanked by two circles for eyes, all embellished with meticulously incised lines.

The opaque stone is almost completely calcified and now of an ivory-white color with scattered gray and pale green inclusions.

Provenance: Bruno Cooper Works of Art, Norwich, United Kingdom, by 2008. Collection of Paolo Bertuzzi, acquired from the above. A copy of the original invoice from Bruno Cooper, signed and dated 15 April 2008, confirming the dating and stating a purchase price of GBP 7,500 or approx. EUR 16,500 (converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing), accompanies this lot. 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: Fine condition, commensurate with age. Significant ancient wear, distinct signs of weathering and erosion, small nicks, minor chips, and a single crack along the top with an associated old fill. The stone with natural fissures, some of which have developed into small hairline cracks. Calcification overall.

Weight: 3,433 g
Dimensions: Height 35 cm

The Liangzhu culture in the Yangtze River Delta, which flourished from the late 4th to the end of the 3rd millennium BC, was one of the most prominent Neolithic Chinese civilizations. Among the large variety of Liangzhu artefacts, cong – tubular jades usually of square section with a central perforation drilled from both ends – stand out as iconic of this culture. They were made for the most prestigious ranks in society. Although the original meanings of cong were lost following the decline of the Liangzhu culture, their form continued to fascinate generations of collectors, connoisseurs, scholars and artisans for centuries. The importance of cong in the history of Chinese art therefore cannot be overstated.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related Liangzhu culture jade cong with similar calcifications in the Jade Gallery of the Shanghai Museum. Compare a related Liangzhu culture jade cong with ten tiers, 30.5 cm high, dated 3300-2200 BC, in the Harvard Art Museums, accession number 1943.50.142, illustrated by Max Loehr, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, cat. no. 360.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 14 September 2019, lot 1258
Price: USD 30,000 or approx. EUR 33,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A Liangzhu-Style Calcified Green Jade Cong
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, decoration, and manner of carving of this cong with similarly stylized and detailed masks.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Galerie Zacke, Vienna, 12 April 2024, lot 411
Price: EUR 9,750
Description: A large nine-tiered jade cong, Liangzhu culture
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and stone with similar calcification. Note the size (32.3 cm) and that this cong like the present lot was in the collection of Paolo Bertuzzi.