China, c. 1200-1100 BC. The slightly convex thick-sided square-section facetted exterior is left undecorated, terminating in a short circular foot and mouth, the interior aperture of characteristic circular section. The highly polished, mostly opaque stone of gray and bluish-white color with areas of translucent dark green interspersed with black specks and white veins.

Provenance: 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: Very good condition with old wear, natural fissures, minuscule nicks, and minor chips, some of which have smoothened over time.

Weight: 513.1 g
Dimensions: Height 14.9 cm

The shape of the present cong is common in jade production dating from the Neolithic period to the Shang dynasty, which was characterized by a square outer section around a circular inner part. The tapered triangular segments at the corners below the mouth and foot are quite rare and a characteristic of later Shang congs. Heaven is symbolized as a circle and earth is a square. Although the precise meaning and function of the cong are, to this day, unknown, one interpretation is that it protected the body against evil spirits and malign influences.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related undecorated spinach-green jade cong included in the exhibition, Chinese Jade, An Important Private Collection, Spink and Sons, November 1991, in the catalog, no. 23. Compare a related cong of similar form in the British Museum illustrated by Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade, London, 1995, p. 151, fig. 2.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 4 April 2017, lot 167
Price: HKD 187,500 or approx. EUR 25,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A dark spinach-green jade cong, Shang dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form and especially the tapered triangular segments at the corners below the mouth and foot, as well as the smooth sides, fine polish, and dark spinach-green color. Note the smaller size (8.9 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Related
Auction: Sotheby’s New York, 14 September 2019, lot 1325
Price: USD 21,250 or approx. EUR 24,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A mottled beige and gray jade cong, Shang dynasty or later
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, with similar tapered triangular segments at the corners below the mouth and foot, and undecorated sides. Note the mottled beige and gray color as well as the smaller size (9.5 cm).



商末深綠玉琮
中國，公元前1200-1100 年。略微凸起的厚邊四方形，素面未加修飾，器兩端呈圓口形。高度拋光，不透明的灰色和藍白色玉料，半透明的深綠色區域點綴著黑色斑點和白色紋理。

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：狀況極好，有磨損、自然裂縫、微小的刻痕和小缺口，其中一些已經隨著時間的推移變得平滑。

重量：513.1 克
尺寸：高14.9 厘米

這件玉琮來自新石器時代至商代，內圓外方筒型玉器，邊角端正，輪廓分明。口足下方角部的錐形三角片十分罕見，是商代末年玉琮的特徵。一般認爲，琮的形狀來自天方地圓的意味。儘管時至今日，琮的確切含義和功能仍不為人所知，但有一種解釋是它保護身體免受邪靈影響。

文獻比較：
比較一件相近的無裝飾深綠玉琮，展於 《Chinese Jade，An Important Private Collection》圖錄，Spink & Sons，1991年11月，編號23。比較一件相近外形的玉琮，收藏於大英博物館 ，見Jessica Rawson，《Chinese Jade》，倫敦，1995年，頁151，圖2。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：非常相近
拍賣：香港佳士得，2017年4月4日，lot 167
價格：HKD 187,500（相當於今日EUR 25,000）
描述：商玉琮
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形和尤其是口足下方尖角處的錐形三角片，以及側面光滑，打磨精細，深菠菜綠色。請注意尺寸(8.9 厘米)較小。

拍賣結果比較：
形制：相近
拍賣：紐約蘇富比，2019年9月14日，lot 1325
價格：USD 21,250（相當於今日EUR 24,000）
描述：商或更晚玉琮
專家評論：比較非常相近的外形，以及琮口、足下角有相似的錐形三角片，側面無紋飾。請注意此玉琮為象牙白和灰色，以及尺寸(9.5 厘米)較小。