Jade Cong with Man Face Pattern - Liangzhu Culture (3300~2200B.C.)
良渚文化 (3300~2200B.C.)人面紋玉琮
Dimemsions:
Top surface: 9.3 cm x 9.5 cm; Bottom surface: 8.2 cm x8.4 cm; Tall : 25 cm
Jade cong
Cong, essentially tubes with a square cross-section and a circular hole, are among the most impressive yet most enigmatic of all ancient Chinese jade artifacts. Their function and meaning are completely unknown. Although they were made at many stages of the Neolithic and early historic period, the origin of the cong in the Neolithic cultures of south-east China has only been recognized in the last thirty years.
The cong is one of the principal types of jade artifact of the Liangzhu culture (about 3300~2200 BC) around Lake Tai in Jiangsu province. Spectacular examples have been found at all the major archaeological sites. The main types of cong have a square outer section around a circular inner part, and a circular hole, though jades of a bracelet shape also display some of the characteristics of cong.
The principal decoration on cong of the Liangzhu period was the face pattern, which may refer to spirits or deities. These faces are derived from a combination of a man-like figure and a mysterious beast.
玉琮
玉琮，後世又稱“輞頭”，是一種內圓外方的筒形玉器，為我國古代重要禮器之一。最早的玉琮見於安徽潛山薛家崗第三期文化，距今約5100年。玉琮在商周還常見，在戰國兩漢以後，就很少見了。其用途也被納入儒家的禮儀系統中，成為禮器或葬器。
新石器時代發現較多的良渚玉琮，玉材為產于江浙一帶的透閃石質玉石，質地不純，以青色居多，部分黃色，土浸後呈霧狀乳白色。除少數作圓筒狀外，多制成規整的內圓外方形。琮體切割規整，中孔為管鑽對穿而成，中接處常留有兩層。玉琮的形體大小高低不一，一般早期矮，晚期高。琮身均飾有獸面紋，紋飾以四角線為中心，分成四組，隨琮高低不同，以相同的紋飾分陣列飾於琮上。部分玉琮在主體獸面紋外，用細陰紋刻細“神人”圖形和雲雷紋，陰線用利石刻劃而成，線條堅挺。
商周時期玉琮數量不多，從出土的實物看，這一時期琮的形體普遍較矮小，多光素無紋。玉琮切割規整，中孔較大，琮體較新石器時略薄。殷墟婦好墓曾出土了兩件有紋飾的玉琮，一件上下各飾一組弦紋，四角有凸棱，側面飾豎道弦紋，該造型很少見。春秋戰國時期玉琮的造型與西周相近，形體較小，戰國部分玉琮刻有細緻的獸面紋、勾雲紋等紋飾。漢代玉琮已不再製造。
宋以後出現了仿古玉琮，但宋至明的仿品上多飾當時流行的紋飾。明末至清代的偽古玉，以仿商周素面矮體玉琮為多，也有仿良渚文化玉琮。清代乾隆時期仿古玉琮尤甚。因加工工具、習慣的不同，偽品多數顯得圓滑有餘而古意不足，熟舊的程度更難做得逼真。
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