Lot 305. An important and extremely rare jade 'deity mask', Late Neolithic period, Post-Shijiahe Culture, c. 2100-1900 BC; 3.6 cm wide, 4.3 cm tall (2). Sold for HK$7,878,000 (Est: HK$1 500 000 - $2 500 000) © Bonhams 2001-2025
 

Masterfully carved, the pale celadon stone of triangular section with a curved side modelled with an anthropomorphic face, detailed with powerful almond-shaped eyes, prominent nose, and widespread mouth revealing sharp, ferocious fangs, all flanked by a pair of large earrings and surmounted by a headdress framed by protruding flanges, the finest details subtly outlined with incised and raised lines, box.

Provenance: Compagnie commerciale de la Chine et du Japon, Paris, early 20th century

Exhibited, Published and Illustrated: Adolphe Worch, Objets d'art Chine, Paris, 1909, p. 1, no. 2

Note: This extremely rare, masterfully carved jade mask is a quintessential example of the final phase of the Shijiahe culture. It was one of the largest Neolithic civilisations that flourished in the middle Yangtze valley, parallel to other major ancient cultures such as Liangzhu to its east and Longshan in the north. By around the 2nd millennium BC, on the fertile land of modern-day Tianmen city, Hubei, an agricultural civilisation was well established, marked by a complex city with a moat-protected citadel, surrounded by residential areas, ceremonial altars and workshops. A quantity of finely worked jade carvings appeared alongside early pottery wares, suggesting the material wealth, spiritual belief and cultural sophistication of the civilisation.

Among the hundreds of excavated and passed-down jade carvings attributable to the culture, there are only a small number of jade masks, suggesting their societal and cultural importance. Scholars categorise this rare group of intricately carved jade masks into two subtypes: deities with two pairs of fangs and elaborate headdresses – such as the current example – and humanoids typically shown without teeth, and their headdresses are of simpler designs.

A closely related deity mask of this size and design, also of triangular section and perforated vertically, was unearthed from Xiaojiawuji (W6:32) and selected as the foremost example of the Shijiahe culture in The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China, Beijing, 2005, vol. 10, p. 2). Another deity mask of a broader proportion was excavated from the citadel Tanjialing (W9:7) and illustrated as the opening piece in Shijiahe yizhen: Tanjialing chutu yuqi jingcui (Treasures of Shijiahe: Selected jade unearthed in Tanjialing), Beijing, 2019, pp. 1-4. Further examples are in major museum collections: see one in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese jade: from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 37, fig. 21, accession no. 1947.7-12.515; and another with an elaborate tophat, on long-term loan to the Smithsonian National Museum of Asian Art, accession no. LTS1985.1.276.1.

A handful of related flat jade deity mask plaques with outlined facial features have appeared at auction, including one sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 29 November 2017, lot 2722, from the Yangdetang Collection. Compare also a Shijiahe jade bead in the form of a humanoid head, without any fancy headdress, nor ferocious fangs, formerly in the collections of Lantien Shanfang and Chang Wei-hwa, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27 November 2019, lot 2752.

The function of such jade deity masks has sparked considerable academic debate, yet no consensus has been reached. Du Jinpeng suggested, based on his observation of the perforations on these pieces, that they were likely to have been attached in front of headdresses and secured with strings (Du Jinpeng, 'A brief introduction to jade carvings of deities from the Shijiahe culture', Jianghan Archaeology, 1993, no. 03, p. 56).

Scholars believe that despite having local jade workshops and skilled artisans, Shijiahe did not have immediate access to nephrite and had to rely on raw material imported from nearby areas. Such limitations possibly contributed to the characteristically small sizes of their carvings. Shijiahe artisans may have also reworked and repurposed jade items from nearby cultures. The triangular sections of the Xiaojiawuji example, the British Museum mask and the present lot are reminiscent of a jade cong, a form first devised in the Liangzhu culture, suggesting possible alterations in antiquity. For further discussions on this topic, see Jessica Rawson, op. cit., pp. 22-25; and Keith J. Wilson, 'Thinking Green: Chinese Jades Reworked in the Second Millennium BCE', Transactions of the Oriental Ceramic Society, vol. 77, 2012-2013, pp. 39-56.

Although the exact methods of interaction remain a mystery, there was cultural exchange between the Shijiahe culture and other Neolithic civilisations, particularly with Longshan culture in Shandong. The deity masks from Shijiahe exhibit visual elements reminiscent of the demonic faces found in northern styles (Du Jinpeng, op. cit., p. 57). Shijiahe figurines, characterised by prominent facial features, may have also influenced the Sanxingdui culture, which is renowned for producing monumental bronze figures with captivating eyes.

This jade mask was first published in 1909 by Adolphe Worch (1843-1915). Born in Kassel, Germany, Worch founded Compagnie commerciale de la Chine et du Japon on 9 rue Bleue of Paris in 1888. Adolphe worked closely with his nephew Edgar Worch (1880-1972), who travelled to China annually to acquire works of art between 1906 and 1914, resulting in the expansion of the company's Chinese art department. A New York branch was established in 1914, but its operation was short-lived due to the outbreak of World War I. The French government confiscated Adolphe's property during the war, and Edgar Worch was forced to return to Germany. After the war, Edgar resumed his Chinese art trade and eventually opened his own gallery, selling numerous important artworks through his brand, many of which are now preserved in major museums.
 

Bonhams. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art, Hong Kong, 29 October 2025