CHINA ARQUEOLOGIA golden-age-chinese-archayeolog

mask, and the mask's position in the burial — on
the waist of tomb's occupant—indicate that it was
probably the upper part of a composition or an
important element of a belt. The archaeological
report states that Tomb 21 overlapped with Tomb 4
(the find-site of the coiled dragons and the hollow
cylindrical jade [cats. 10,11]) and Tomb 14, 6 an
indication that it is an earlier burial. Like the turtle
carapace, this animal mask probably is the earlier
form of such representations in the Hongshan
culture. The animal mask constitutes a dominant
motif in Shang ritual bronzes (see cats. 57, 70), and
its origin, meaning, and function have long been a
focus of scholarly inquiry. The discovery of jades of
the Liangzhu culture carved with animal motifs (see
cats. 29, 30), has led some scholars to trace the
origin of Shang animal masks back to the Liangzhu
culture of the lower Yangzi River delta, but animal
masks appear among other prehistoric as well,
including the Hongshan culture, 7 and it is likely
that the later form of the motif drew inspiration
from various sources in ancient China. XY
1 Excavated in 1989; reported: Liaoning i997b.
2 Henan 1989,12.
3 Fang and Liu 1984, 3; and Liaoning 19973, 6.
4 Anhui 1989, 6.
5 Shanxi 1994,18.
6 Liaoning 1986.
7 Yang 1999, chap. 3.
H
Jade plaque with animal design
Height 9.5 (3 3 / 4 ), width 28.6 (n'A)
Hongshan Culture, 4700-2920 BCE
From Niuheliang, Jianping, Liaoning Province
Liaoning Provincial Institute of Archaeology,
Shenyang
This plaque, the largest jade of the Hongshan culture
excavated thus far, was positioned vertically in
the tomb, with its back facing up. 1 Thin and finely
engraved, the object produces a clear, ringing tone
when struck. Both sides are carved with patterns
resembling tiles, although the front is more elegantly
and delicately worked. At center, openwork
and engraving allow the upper part to look like a
pair of round eyes and eyebrows of a bird or animal;
immediately below, five striations suggest birds'
feet, or perhaps animal teeth. Extensions from the
middle to the two sides resemble wings in flight; the
tilelike patterns on the jade may represent feathers
— perhaps those of an owl, a frequent image in
prehistoric China (along with abstract or mythical
birds) that became quite popular by the Shang
period (c. 1600-1100 BCE). The precise iconography,
however, remains disputed: other scholars have
argued that it represents a phoenix, a dragon, the
tusks of a boar, deer antlers — even a rose. 2 Burials
of the Hongshan culture have yielded many jade
animals and birds whose iconography is less enigmatic
than that of this example; the most plausible
interpretation of the image is that it combines
elements of certain birds or animals in an abstract
manner, but the uniqueness and this abstractness
of this plastic form make the precise identification
of the image — much less its meaning — hypothetical.
While several jades resembling this example
appear in collections, this is the sole example recovered
by archaeological excavation. XY
1 Excavated in 1995 from Tomb 27 Mound i, Locality 2.
The tomb has not been fully reported, but see Liaoning
199/d, 71.
2 Deng 1992, 8; Du 1998, 62; Liu 1998, 77; and Liaoning
i 9 9 7 d, 71.
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