Object: Two-tier tube (cong 琮) with masks F1916.499

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Maker(s): Artist: Liangzhu culture 良渚 (ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE)

Historical period(s): Late Neolithic period, ca. 3300-2250 BCE

Object Date: ca. 3300-2250 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 6.5 x 9.5 x 9.4 cm (2 9/16 x 3 3/4 x 3 11/16 in) Diam (hole): 6.2 cm (2 7/16 in)

Origin: China, Lake Tai region, purportedly found at Xiaxi, Zhejiang province

Notes: purportedly found at Xiaxi, Zhejiang province

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1916.499

: 人面紋雙節琮
新石器時代晚期良渚文化（公元前3300--2250年）
中國太湖地區，傳浙江下溪出土
軟玉
高6.5、寬9.5、厚9.4 釐米；孔徑6.2 釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾贈送
器物編號：F1916.499

Provenance: Excavated in Hsia-hsi, Chekiang [1]

To 1916
You Xiaoxi, Shanghai, to 1916 [2]

From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi, in New York in 1916 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Remark 8, J. Murray, 1982, "A review of the Original Miscellaneous list shows this object was excavated in Hsiaki, Chekiang."

[2] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1045, pg. 233, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[3] See note 2.

[4] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous owner(s): You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (C.L. Freer source) (late 19th-early 20th century)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Past label text: 1. Ancient Chinese Jade, September 4, 1980–March 6, 1981; by Julia K. Murray (shown with F1917.384, F1916.118, F1968.30, F1916.410; additional cong 琮 tubes of later periods shown in same case)

A comparable ts'ung [cong] 琮 of the Liang-chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 culture was excavated at Ts'ao-hsieh-shan [Caoxieshan] 草鞋山, Wu hsien [Wu xian] 吳縣, in Kiangsu [Jiangsu] 江蘇 province. The surface of the ts'ung [cong] 琮 is highly polished.

2.: 1923–1983, September 23, 1983–March 1, 1984; by Julia K. Murray (shown with F1916.118, F1917.63, F1916.410, F1918.14; additional jades organized by types shown in same case)

A few jades related to these plaques and beads by shape or by decoration have recently come to light in the excavation of sites associated with a late phase of the Liang-chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 culture, which flourished during the late Neolithic period in eastern coastal China. They include an angular plaque, of a different shape than the Freer pieces (F1916.628, F1917.382), bearing an arrangement of large oval eyes executed in low relief; such large eyes in further elaboration are seen on a plaque in the Freer collection (F1916.511). Other jades with comparable décor include a few ts'ung [cong] 琮 with demonic-mask motifs (F1916.118, F1916.499), sometimes in multiple registers. The mask motif may be ancestral to the ubiquitous t'ao-t'ieh [taotie] 饕餮 found on Shang 商 dynasty bronze vessels. The beads (F1917.378a, F1917.378b) probably were originally part of an elaborate necklace.

3. Liangzhu 良渚 and its Legacy, November 4, 2010–January 3, 2016; by Keith Wilson (shown with F1917.384, F1916.118, F1919.47, F1917.65, F1918.14, F1917.95, F1916.410, F1917.41, F1919.51)
Cong 琮
China, Liangzhu 良渚 culture, ca. 3300–2250 BCE, late Neolithic period
Jade (nephrite)

These jade cong 琮 tubes with a square cross-section bored with a central hole are now considered an innovation of the Liangzhu 良渚 culture. Cong 琮 come in a great variety of sizes and are frequently found in Liangzhu 良渚 tombs, sometimes arranged with other jades in a circle around the body. The original meaning and function of these ritual forms remain unknown. Many of the earliest and most carefully finished examples (the result of months of laborious shaping by hand) are comparatively compact; their rounded shapes suggest the form evolved from bracelets. On two of the cong 琮 here (F1916.118, F1917.384), the haunting mask design—with its bar-shaped mouth, raised oval eyes, sunken round pupils, and two bands that might indicate a headdress—resembles the motif seen on Liangzhu 良渚 jewelry.

Much larger cong 琮, which are frequently made of lower-quality nephrite, emphasize impressive scale over meticulous workmanship. They have flatter sides, sharply angled corners, and squared collars at top and bottom—all indications that less time and attention were paid in shaping a rectangular block of jade. Simplified mask motifs on these cong 琮 would have been easier to produce as well. Such shifts might be associated with changing attitudes towards ritual objects that were intended for burial.

The cong 琮 form continued in use long after the Liangzhu 良渚 culture flourished, but later Neolithic and Bronze Age examples (such as F1917.41, F1919.51) are typically smaller and undecorated, suggesting their diminished importance in burial rituals.

Museum founder Charles Lang Freer acquired these cong 琮 largely for their aesthetic appeal: he simply liked the way they look. Freer was attracted to their intriguing shapes, smooth surfaces, and mottled colors. A century ago, when these cong 琮 appeared on the international art market, little was known about their historical, cultural, or archaeological significance. Today these mysterious tubes, along with most of the other objects in this room, are recognized as being among the most important jades from the Liangzhu 良渚 culture now outside China.

4. (Keith Wilson, "Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades," Gallery 19, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Oct. 14, 2017 to Apr 15, 2018)

Cong
China, late Neolithic period and Shang dynasty, ca. 3300–1050 BCE
Liangzhu culture, ca. 3300–2250 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1916.499

What Was It For?
An innovation of the Liangzhu culture, these jade cong (pronounced tsung) tubes are the result of months of laborious shaping by hand. Various sizes are found in Liangzhu tombs, sometimes arranged with other jades in a circle around the body. While their original meaning and function remain unknown, the circular shape of many early examples suggests the form evolved from bracelets. Look for a haunting mask design, with a bar-shaped mouth, raised oval eyes, and sunken round pupils.

Curatorial Remarks

1. Bought from Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪, of Shanghai 上海, in New York. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 233. $200

2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Hsia [Xia] 夏. See further, S.I. 1045, Appendix VIII.

3. (Archibald Gibson Wenley, 1946) Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty.

4. (Undated Folder Sheet note) The rendering of the circle to resemble an eye is also seen in F1917.95.

5. (Thomas Lawton, 1978) Western Chou [Zhou] 周.

6. (Julia K. Murray, 1980) Attribution is changed from Western Chou [Zhou] 周 to Neolithic or Shang 商.

7. (Julia K. Murray, 1982) The abstract band-and-circle decor that appears in two horizontal registers on ts'ung [cong] 琮 F1916.499 seems to be an abstract and simplified version of the mask-like motif found on ts'ung [cong] 琮 F1916.118 (see Folder Sheet), a type of decor that is found on a few artifacts from the Liang-chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 phase of the East Coast Neolithic culture. The eyes in the "full" form of the motif consist of a pair of large, raised ovals each with a small, incised circle. On ts'ung [cong] 琮 F1916.499, however, the eyes are reduced to two small, concentric incised circles, with a small horizontal stem projecting from opposite sides of the outer circle.

This simplification in itself does not necessarily mean a later date, for the simplified form of the mask is found on tall ts'ung [cong] 琮 also excavated from the late Liang-chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 remains in Kiangsu [Jiangsu] 江蘇 at Wu hsien [Wu xian] 吳縣 Ts'ao-hsieh-shan [Caoxieshan] 草鞋山 (see Nanking po-wu-yuan [Nanjing bowuyuan] 南京博物院, "Kiangsu Wu hsien Ts'ao-hsieh-shan i-chih [Jiangsu Wu xian Caoxieshan yizhi] 江蘇吳縣草鞋山遺址," Wen-wu tzu-liao ts'ung-k'an [Wenwu ziliao congkan] 文物資料叢刊 3 [1980], p. 12) and Wu-chin [Wujin] 武進 Ssu-tun [Sidun] 寺墩 (see Nanking po-wu-yuan [Nanjing bowuyuan] 南京博物院, "Kiangsu Wu-chin Ssu-tun i-chih ti shih-chueh [Jiangsu Wujin Sidun yizhi de shijue] 江蘇武進寺墩遺址的試掘," K'ao-ku [Kaogu] 考古 1981.3, pls. 2:4--5); and in Shih-hsia [Shixia] 石峽 cultural remains in Kwangtung [Guangdong] 廣東 province at Ch'u-chiang [Qujiang] 曲江 Shih-hsia [Shixia] 石峽 (see Kwangtung sheng po-wu-kuan [Guangdong sheng bowuguan] 廣東省博物館 and Ch'u-chiang hsien wen-hua-chu Shih-hsia fa-chueh hsiao-tsu [Qujiang xian wenhuaju Shixia fajue xiaozu] 曲江縣文化局石峽發掘小組, "Kwangtung Ch'u-chiang Shih-hsia mu-tsang fa-chueh chien-pao [Guangdong Qujiang Shixia muzang fajue jianbao] 廣東曲江石峽墓葬發掘簡報," Wen-wu [Wenwu] 文物 1978.7, p. 15, figs. 31 and 34). For a discussion of the tall ts'ung [cong] 琮 with band-and-circle designs replicated in several registers, see Folder Sheet F1916.410.

Ts'ung [cong] 琮 F1916.499 is most like the low ts'ung [cong] 琮 from Wu-chin [Wujin] 武進 Ssu-tun [Sidun] 寺墩 (see Nanking po-wu-yuan [Nanjing bowuyuan] 南京博物院, "Kiangsu Wu-chin Ssu-tun i-chih ti shih-chueh [Jiangsu Wujin Sidun yizhi de shijue] 江蘇武進寺墩遺址的試掘," K'ao-ku [Kaogu] 考古 1981.3, pl. 2:4), but is not tapered like the excavated example.

Attribution is changed from Neolithic or Shang 商 to Neolithic.

8. (Julia K. Murray, 1982) A review of the Original Miscellaneous List shows this object was excavated in Hsiaki [Xiaxi] 下溪, Chekiang [Zhejiang] 浙江.

9. See F1916.118, Curatorial Remark no. 8.

10. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, February 5, 2008) On this date entered: Period One (Late Neolithic period), Date (3300--2250 BCE), Artist (Liangzhu 良渚 culture), Title, Object name, Geographical region (Lake Tai 太湖 region); plus Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database.

11. (Stephen Allee, May 29, 2008) Added designation "nephrite" to Medium as per Elisabeth West Fitzhugh, August 1959, as determined by x-ray diffraction; and Wen Guang 聞廣, June 1997, as determined by infrared spectroscopy.

12. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) Ceremonial Object added as secondary classification.

13. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, April 20, 2010) Title changed from "Short tube (cong 琮)" to "Tube (cong 琮) with masks."

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry for F1916.499; by Jenny F. So (2003)

Cong 琮 bracelet
Late Neolithic period, 3000--2500 BCE
Liangzhu 良渚 culture, Lake Tai 太湖 region
Nephrite, mottled tan, pale yellow, and gray with much alteration
Height 6.31--6.46 cm; dimensions at top 9.38 × 9.45 cm; at bottom 9.34 × 9.40 cm; diameter of opening 6.03--6.16 cm; of collar 9.16--10.25 cm
Purchased from Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪, Shanghai 上海, in New York
F1916.499

Tapering subtly from top to bottom with pronounced triangular projections at the corners, this example is divided into two tiers. Both tiers carry the same design: a human-like face with double incised circular eyes, nose filled with densely incised scrolls, and double headbands filled with incised parallel lines above the eyes. The surface is worn from prolonged handling but highly polished (perhaps in recent times before it entered the collection).

Unlike most two-tiered examples, which usually show a human face over an animal face,[1] this shows identical human images on both tiers. Comparable two-tiered examples have, however, been recovered from major Liangzhu 良渚 sites, such as Fanshan 反山 and Yaoshan 瑤山, in simple cylindrical as well as the more typical squared cylinder shapes.[2] Even at its increased height, two-tiered cong 琮 like this one were apparently still worn as bracelets, as one was found around the arm bones of the deceased in a tomb at Tongxiang 桐鄉, Zhejiang 浙江 province.

The repetition of identical, human-faces on each tier links these to the multi-tiered examples of later Liangzhu 良渚 contexts (such as F1917.65), where this feature recurs almost exclusively and the animal image never appears. The choice of human or animal images for both single and multi-tiered shapes cannot have been random. The reasons and meanings behind these choices remain, however, unknown.

Published: Yue Seaouk'e [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪, Masterpieces in Chinese National Art: the Collection of Mr. Seaouk'e Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪 (Shanghai: Commercial Press, 1916), no. 20; Julia K. Murray, "Neolithic Chinese Jades in the Freer Gallery of Art," Orientations 14 (1983), p. 19.

[1] See examples in Zhejiang sheng wenwu kaogu yanjiusuo 浙江省文物考古研究所, Shanghai shi wenwu guanli weiyuanhui 上海市文物管理委员会, and Nanjing bowuyuan 南京博物院, Liangzhu wenhua yuqi 良渚文化玉器 (Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, and Hong Kong: Liangmu chubanshe, 1989), nos. 11, 15--16, 18--22, 24--25.

[2] Ibid., nos. 10 (cylindrical), 32, 34--36 (squared cylinders).

Published References

Geoffrey WIlls. Jade of the East., 1st ed. New York, 1972. fig. 7.
You Xiaoxi, Hsiao-chi Yu in, Chi-Tseng Chang. "游筱溪." Masterpieces of Chinese National Art: The Collection of Mr. Seaouke'e Yue. Shanghai, 1916. no. 20.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
Julia Murray. Neolithic Chinese Jades in the Freer Gallery of Art. vol. 14, no. 11 Hong Kong, November 1983. p. 19.
Sherman Lee. Review of "The Freer's Studies in Connoisseurship". vol. 44, no. 1 New York, Spring 1984. p. 69, fig. 9.
Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Fang Gu. Yuqi shidai: Meiguo bowuguan cang Zhongguo zaoqi yuqi [The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums]. Beijing, 2009. p. 107.

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