Jade. China, c. 4000-3000 BC. The jade is carved and pierced as a single unit of a cloud-scroll with subsidiary arched segments protruding from four corners. The top is pierced with a circular aperture. The translucent stone is of a deep, intense yellow tone with russet veins and shadings as well as cloudy white inclusions.

Provenance: From the private collection of Professor Filippo Salviati, Rome, Italy. A professor of archeology and art history at the Italian Institute of Oriental Studies at the Sapienza University of Rome, Prof. Salviati has researched and published extensively on Chinese archaic art.
Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and minimal signs of weathering and erosion, the stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks over time.

Weight: 37.2 g
Dimensions: Length 8.8 cm

The Hongshan culture, from which this plaque comes, remained unknown until the 1980s. Centered in northeastern China, it is known for large ceremonial structures built with rocks, graves lined with stone slabs, and distinctively shaped jades that were often the sole goods found in tombs. Judging from the holes on its back and on the top center, this piece may have been an ornament, however its exact function cannot be deciphered until more archaeological evidence becomes available.

The present cloud-scroll carving features an extremely rare and spectacular combination of translucency, deep yellow and russet tone, and subtle carving technique, with areas varying in thickness effectively capturing the light as it shines on and passes through the jade to further intensify the richness of color.

Literature comparison: Compare a closely related jade plaque, also dated to the Hongshan culture, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accession number 2009.176.

Auction result comparison: Compare a closely related but slightly larger (12.3 cm long) ‘cloud-scroll’ ornament, also dated to the Hongshan culture and of similar form, but carved from green jade, at Christie’s Hong Kong in The Chang Wei-Hwa Collection of Archaic Jades, Part I – The Neolithic Period on 27 November 2019, lot 2711, sold for HKD 175,000. Compare also a related Hongshan celadon jade ‘cloud-scroll’ ornament, of considerably larger size (18.4 cm long) and covered by white alteration, in the same auction at Christie’s Hong Kong, lot 2712, sold for HKD 1,000,000.

紅山文化罕見褐斑青玉勾雲形佩
中國，公元前約4000-3000 年。此器以勾轉型式為主體，週邊突出，從四個角突出輔助拱形部分，形成勾雲形， 頂部穿有圓形孔。 半透明的青玉，赤褐色紋理和陰影以及白色絮狀物。

來源：義大利羅馬Filippo Salviati教授私人收藏。 Filippo Salviati教授是羅馬大學東亞研究所考古系及藝術史系教授。 Salviati教授對中國古代藝術進行了廣泛研究並出版了很多專著。
品相：狀況極佳，輕微磨損，些微風化和侵蝕跡像，具有天然脈絡紋的石料，隨著時間的推移，其中一些裂縫可能會發展成細小的裂縫。

重量：37.2 克
尺寸：長8.8 厘米

紅山文化直到 1980 年代才正式公佈發表。它以中國東北為中心，大型祭壇，女神廟和積石塚墓群遺址，出土了一批形狀獨特的玉石，這些玉器通常是墓葬中唯一的物品。 從背面和頂部中央的孔來看，此拍品可能是一件裝飾品，但在獲得更多考古證據之前無法解讀其確切功能。

這件勾雲形青玉佩，將不同色斑與雕刻工藝巧妙結合，極為罕見，厚薄不一的區域有效地捕捉光線，進一步增強了玉佩的色澤。

文獻比較: 一件極爲相似的玉佩，同樣為紅山文化, 可見大都會博物館，編號 2009.176。

拍賣結果比較：一件相似但更大 (長12.3 厘米) 的勾雲佩，紅山文化，但為綠色玉，見香港佳士得The Chang Wei-Hwa Collection of Archaic Jades, Part I – The Neolithic Period 2019年11月27日 lot 2711, 售價HKD 175,000。一件紅山青玉勾雲形佩，大尺寸 (長18.4 厘米) ，覆蓋著白色絮狀物，見香港佳士得同一場拍賣lot 2712, 售價HKD 1,000,000。