Ancient Chinese Liangzhu Jade Double Fish, Dragon & Taotie Amulet w/Translation

Description

ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS
Artifacts, Antiques & Fine Collect
i
bles
Chinese Jade Double Fish, Dragon & Taotie Amulet
Pictographs of Imperial Dragons, Animal Sacrifices plus 35+ Others
c. Liangzhu Culture
3500 BC—2100 BC
“A Dragon can be unseen or visible, minute or huge,
long or short.  However, always it is great.”
—Shuo Wen (c. 100 AD)
NOTE:
William D. 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
Item:
Jade Double Fish, Dragon, & Tao'tie Ritual Amulet
Material:
Highly polished nephrite jade, with an estimated 35+ pictograms painted black on all surfaces of the pendant.
Culture:
Liangzhu Culture
Date:
3500 BC—2200 BC
Measurements:
·
Height:
4.04” (103mm)
·
Width:
2.65” (67mm)
·
Depth:
.37” (9mm)
·
Weight:
4.3 oz. (123 gr.)
Condition:
This nephrite jade, Liangzhu Culture pendant is in museum quality condition.
The celadon green jade has turned an amazing shade of orange/brown from the iron and other elements in the damp soil that have been absorbed into the jade after being buried for thousands of years.
This patina should never be removed, because the natural patina is one way to identify an authentic Liangzhu jade.
It has common, surface jade fissures, but it does not appear to have been repaired or restored and does not affect the condition or value.
A small section of the orange/brown patina has been removed by polishing on the center of both sides by the previous collector in China; this exposes the original color of the nephrite jade—a lovely light, celadon green—but sadly also erased some of the painted pictographs on that section of the pendant.
Provenance: This amulet/pendant is one of several identical pendants that were obtained from a private collector in China.
These items were first purchased by the private collector’s father in approximately 1998 from an old private collection in China in Zhejiang Province, China. I believe these pendants would have been included in an Emperor’s tomb or temple to provide him a safe journey and eternal life in Heaven.
These pendants have for many years been in this author’s private collection in the State of Washington.
This is the first time it has been offered for sale in the United States.
Painted on the front and back of the pendant are Imperial Dragons.
This pictograph verifies that this man held a high-level position of sage/advisor/minister or ambassador in the Emperor’s court, as no ordinary old man would have dared to have an Imperial Dragon on a piece of jade that would have been placed in the Emperor’s tomb or in his temple.
NOTE:
These items offered for sale by Ancient Civilizations are unconditionally guaranteed authentic. They were legally imported to the United States years ago and are legal to sell and own under U.S. Statute Title 19, Chapter 14, Code 2611, Convention on Cultural Property.
DETAILS
This lovely jade pendant dates to the Neolithic Chinese people known as the Liangzhu Culture (3500 BC—2100 BC.)
The Liangzhu are believed to have been the first people in China to ever use jade as a marker of social status—and this jade pendant of two fish, dragons, and a ferocious beast called a Tao'tie, is an awesome example, as all three beasts served as a protective amulet against Evil Spirits that could prevent the man’s soul from reaching immortality in Heaven.
Symbolism of Two Fish Facing Each Other
This
4” (103mm)
tall pendant is in the form of two fish facing each other.
The carp fish is a commonly seen visual pun because the Chinese character for carp (
li
鲤
) is pronounced the same as both the character (
li
利
) for "profit" and the character (li
力
) for "strength" or "power."
As a pair of carp in Chinese folklore symbolizes a harmonious marriage, it is possible that this lovely bowl was a wedding present over 4,000-years-ago. Even in China today, the Double Fish Symbol is a good luck wedding gift to bride.
The carp, because it produces many eggs, is also a symbol for an abundance of children or in this case—immortal lives.
In ancient China, fish were almost always included as one of the items in the betrothal gifts given to the parents of the bride. A pair of fish was symbolic of the joys of union and the fish emblem was also believed to be a charm against bad luck since it is included among the auspicious signs on the footprints of the Buddha.
The Immortal Mythical Beast—
Taotie (In Chinese
Located at the bottom of this amazing amulet is the iconic image of the
Taotie
, a fierce, mythical creature that was thought to scare away evil spirits.
He is prominently featured on the center, lower part of the amulet (see my macro photo # 2), with his nose in the center, two large circular eyes, and a rectangle shaped mouth that is ready to devour any Evil Spirits that might prevent the soul of this man from reaching his ancestors in Heaven.
His oversized round eyes and horizontal mouth have been incised into the hard jade with the finest of cut lines and are utterly amazing.
There even are tiny characters, that can only be seen under 10x magnification, “inside” the round eyes of both fish!
Some experts suggest that a diamond or even an iron meteorite awl was used by the Neolithic stone masons to make these ultra-thin cut lines, as Neolithic cultures did not have iron tools to incise the extremely hard jade.
The pendant appears to have perhaps 35+ pictograms that were painted in black, mineral pigment colors onto the highly-polished surface of the old sage when it was made and dedicated to him millennia ago.
Several of the pictograms have faded or blurred, but I can see the images of:
·
Imperial Dragons!
At least two Dragons were painted on this amulet—one on each side.
Look carefully and you can see his legs, feet, and claws!
(These two pictograph verify that this ritual amulet for a man/woman was part of the in the Emperor’s immediate royal court, as no ordinary old man would have dared to have an Imperial Dragon on a piece of jade that would have been placed in the Emperor’s tomb or in his temple.)
·
The Son making this offering of jade on behalf of his Father, the Emperor.
·
Highest God in Heaven (
Tien
)
·
The ritual sacrifice by the son of several animals (maybe 4+), shown on the front and back.
One animal being sacrificed is pictured on macro photos # 4-5.
·
Ancestors diving from Heaven to accept the offerings
·
The character (
li
力
) for "strength" or "power.
·
And perhaps 30+ more images that I cannot see clearly enough to decipher.
The pendant has a suspension hole on the very top of the amulet.
Archaeologists classify these holes that go form the top of the head to the base as “cone-shaped hole,” which was the common type of hole made in the Liangzhu Culture.
It was necessary to drill from both sides with a hollow, bamboo tube that would be dipped into abrasive and then rotated rapidly against the stone to affect a ring-form type of hole, leaving the solid core intact.
Therefore, the meeting place of the two borings is not true to a single, straight channel and a curved remnant ridge that is not ground or polished-out remains at the common junction.
The center core was often snapped off by tapping or pushing the center core to one side and thus completing the long hole.
Then entire pendant is defined by precise incision lines and plain modeling, with a flat sides on both the front and the back.
It presents a powerful image of protection in the afterlife and one meant only for the royal class.
Dragon Symbolism in China
In China, the Dragon (in Chinese “
Long
”) has for millennia been the symbol of the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, eternity, Yang and Yin, as well as for male vigor and fertility.
The Dragon is considered as one of the 12 Ornaments and one of the most comp00lex and multi-tiered Chinese symbols. The Chinese dragon can fiercely protect one from Evil Spirits and harm.
The nine major characteristics of a lung-type dragon include a camel-like head, deer-like horns, hare-like eyes, bull-like ears, an iguana-like neck, a frog-like belly, carp-like scales, tiger-like paws and eagle-like claws.
This bronze dragon has a pair of large canine teeth and long, tendril-like whiskers extending from either side of its mouth that were thought to be used for feeling its way along the bottom of muddy ponds.
In China, the dragon is credited with having great powers that allowed it to make rain and control floods by striking the river with its mighty tail, for example.
Dragons are also revered for their ability to transport humans to the celestial realms after death.
They are symbols of the natural world, adaptability, and transformation to immortal status. When two dragons are placed together in opposite directions, they symbolize eternity, i.e., the famous Yin-Yang symbol.
Chinese emperors literally thought they were the real dragons and Sons of Heaven. Thus, the beds they slept on are called "dragon beds;" the throne, a "dragon seat;" and the emperor's ceremonial dresses are known as "dragon robes."
In the minds of the early Chinese people, the dragon was a god that embodied the will and ideals of the Chinese people. It is said that the dragon is a large-scaled reptile, which can become dark or bright, large or small, long or short, and fly into the sky in the spring and live underwater in the fall.
It seems that the dragon is capable of doing almost anything.
Traditionally, the dragons were considered the governors of rainfalls in Chinese culture. They had the power to decide where and when it would rain. They also believed kings of water dragons lived in dragon palaces under the ocean. The Chinese sign for the dragon appeared during the Yin and Shang dynasties (16th-11th century BC -- the period of the earliest Chinese hieroglyphs), between inscriptions on bones and turtle shields. The inscriptions depicted a horned reptile, with teeth, scales and sometimes even claws.
In ancient China, nobody had any doubt about the existence of dragons. People showed great respect for any depictions of dragons -- in paintings, carvings and writings. As a result, the dragon became the symbol of the Chinese nation. All people in China, including the emperor, prostrated themselves before the image of a dragon with reverence and awe. As a result, this fictional creature became the spiritual sustenance for the nation first as the totem of a tribe and then as the symbol of the nation. Eventually, the dragon became the symbol on the national flag of the last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese people considered themselves the descendants of the dragon.
As the emblem of the emperor and imperial command, the legend of the Chinese dragon permeates the ancient Chinese civilization and has shaped its culture. Its benevolence signifies greatness, goodness and blessings.
Please examine the macro photos carefully as they are part of the description.
The AA battery and stand are not part of the auction, just included to give you a better perspective.
And please ask any questions before you buy.
International Buyers are responsible for all import duties, import taxes, shipping charges and insurance costs.
International Returns are
NOT
accepted.
Note:
Please ask any questions you may have before you bid!  Thanks for Looking!