Neolithic Chinese Jade Temple Seal w/Phoenix. Offers Bronze Vessel to Ancestors

Description

Ancient Civilizations
Antiques, Artifacts & Fine Collectables
Chinese Phoenix & Ancestor Jade Temple Seal
Documents an Offering of a Bronze Vessel to the Ancestors
English Translation Provided
Hongshan Culture
c. 4500 BC—2250 BC
“We, the Descendants of our Father,
Call Out with Our Hearts and Prayers in this Temple
to Our Many Ancestors in Heaven (
Tien
)
to Accept this Bronze Offering in His Name”
~Author’s English Translation of this Seal
NOTE:
William Houghton, the President of ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
, a State of Washington Licensed Business, assumes all responsibility for the information contained in this description and for the English translation and transcription of the ancient Chinese graphic characters.
Furthermore, I prohibit the further dissemination of this information in any written, video, or electronic format without my expressed, written approval.
Thank You!
SUMMARY
This stunning jade seal (called a “
chop
” in China) was a temple gift to document the gift of a bronze vessel to the Ancestors, and dates to approximately the early Hongshan Culture (4500 BC—2250 BC).
It appears in a high-polished, barrel-type or tombstone shaped style and was made of iron-rich, black jade, instead of a softer stone that would have been easier to work and more common.
This lovely jade seal weighs approximately 5.20 oz. (145 gr.) and stands only 1.58” (40mm) tall on a 1.67” (42mm) x 1.51 (38mm) rectangular base.
There is a small suspension hole in the center of the seal that would have been used to suspend the seal from the owner’s waist.
But as this was for ritual use in a temple, it was likely never used to stamp a document.
This suspension holes are period correct as they were drilled from both sides with slow RPM drills made of hollow bone.
A slurry of crushed quarts or jade was mixed with an animal fat medium to create an abrasive mixture.
The holes are classified at “bi-conical bevel holes” and are period correct.
Upon examination, one can see the holes that were drilled from both sides of the seal do not match up perfectly, and therefore the hole is curved in the center of the seal. This is yet another indication that the seal dates to the Neolithic era.
The seal is made from black jade that was high in iron content and thus has produced a stunning patina as it has aged about 5,000 years.
The top of the seal has an unusual, rounded, “tombstone-shaped” top that was certainly a custom ordered item at this time period.
The surface is highly polished with only a couple of very minor, old chips on the edges—it is in museum quality condition with no repairs or restorations.
By the style and incised decorations on the seal, we know that it was a temple offering to the Ancestors that would have been placed in the temple above the tomb of a powerful, upper class person in ancient China, as nearly all jade seals from that time period were owned by powerful members of the government.
It could have been to honor a member of the royal family—perhaps a woman, as there is a phoenix of the crest of seal.
In any case, it would have only been made for a person in the upper-class, as ordinary citizens did not have access to the fine jade craftsmanship of the upper-class.
We know that it was for temple use by the early Hongshan pictographic characters that were incised into the side and on the bottom of the seal.
What looks like the head of a bird or duck was actually the symbol for “Ancestor.”
And what looks like the body of the Ancestor is actually the character “
Yung
” that in Neolithic times represented the bronze offerings the family would offer to the Ancestors at the temple above their father’s tomb.
The base of the seal has the image of two Ancestors emanating from the bronze offering and accepting the offering.
In ancient China, the image of two Ancestors did not just mean “two,” but rather “all of them.” These offerings, if accepted by the Ancestors, would provide blessings to the entire family.
On the top of the seal there is the open beak of a bird—likely a Phoenix—that symbolically calls out to Ancestors to hear the prayers and offerings of bronze on behalf of their departed father.
At the four corners on top of the seal, symbols like this were used to denote the four walls of a temple.
In this case, there are four, heart-shaped characters with two lines extending from each one.
These symbols in modern Chinese are called “
Hsin
” and although it simply meant “heart” it had numerous meanings in ancient times.
The two lines extending from the heart represent the heart’s aorta.
{See Dr. L. Weiger pg. 258 & 260}
I have provided an English translation of the ancient Chinese pictographic symbols that were cut by hand into the jade seal.
I alone take full responsibility for any errors in my translation.
This ancient jade seal could be translated as follows:
We, the Descendants of our Father,
Call Out with Our Hearts and Prayers in this Temple
to Our Many Ancestors in Heaven (Tien)
to Accept this Bronze Offering in His Name
~Author’s English Translation of this Seal
DETAILS
I have carefully examined this item under 10x magnification that help to further authenticate it as an historic piece.
I
Guarantee
this
seal
to be authentic or your money back!
You will not be disappointed!
It is a wonderful piece and would look great displayed next to your other fine ancient Chinese jade and bronze pieces!
Please examine the photos taken indoors carefully as they are part of the description.
The stand and ruler are
not included in this auction.
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