Cylinder
circa 2500 BC (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
A ‘cong’ is a jade cylinder that is square on the outside with a round perforation in the middle. The outside walls are usually divided into sections by horizontal cuts in the four corners. The height of cong varies drastically, ranging from 49 cm to a mere 3 cm. Tall cong are definitely more difficult to make than short ones.
An ancient Chinese text called 'The Rites of Zhou' states that the cong was used to sacrifice to Earth. But long before writing was invented in China jade cong were used in a ritual context. Recent archaeology in China has unearthed considerable quantity of cong from Neolithic burial sites.
An ancient Chinese text called 'The Rites of Zhou' states that the cong was used to sacrifice to Earth. But long before writing was invented in China jade cong were used in a ritual context. Recent archaeology in China has unearthed considerable quantity of cong from Neolithic burial sites.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Nephrite jade, carved |
| Brief description | cong, nephrite jade, of 7 sections, Liangzhu culture, China, ca. 2500 BCE |
| Physical description | A cong of variegated dark green and grey nephrite, 7 sections, the passage neatly hollowed out. The eyes are apparent. It tapers downwards only slightly. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Purchased with Art Fund support, the Vallentin Bequest, Sir Percival David and the Universities China Committee |
| Summary | A ‘cong’ is a jade cylinder that is square on the outside with a round perforation in the middle. The outside walls are usually divided into sections by horizontal cuts in the four corners. The height of cong varies drastically, ranging from 49 cm to a mere 3 cm. Tall cong are definitely more difficult to make than short ones. An ancient Chinese text called 'The Rites of Zhou' states that the cong was used to sacrifice to Earth. But long before writing was invented in China jade cong were used in a ritual context. Recent archaeology in China has unearthed considerable quantity of cong from Neolithic burial sites. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | A.51-1936 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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