Sculpture, Hongshan Cultuur Adelaar Godheid Sculptuur - Antiek Verzamelobject - 8 cm - Nefriet

Rare and intriguing sculpture (11.5 cm wide) depicting an Eagle Deity, made of nephrite (often also called “nephrite jade”) by members of the Chinese Hongshan Culture, which originated in the Neolithic period some 4,000 years ago, presented on a cube-shaped base.

The object weighs 295 g, is 8 cm high, 11.5 cm wide, and 3.5 cm deep.

The Hongshan culture in which this sculpture was created is still shrouded in many mysteries, as research into this culture is still in its early stages.

Scientists believe that the demise of this highly advanced culture was due to a major natural disaster of apocalyptic proportions, such as a Biblical flood, which is also said to have brought about the downfall of the legendary lost continent of Atlantis.

Some conspiracy theorists even believe that this lost civilization had contact with extraterrestrials, because some of its sculptures are very bizarre and look highly unusual, and in certain cases seem to correspond entirely to the image people generally have of extraterrestrials...

Because the very remote Hongshan archaeological site in northeastern China was discovered and studied relatively late by Japanese (!) researchers, these finds were ignored for a long time by the Chinese scientific elite, who had always assumed that the cradle of Chinese civilization lay elsewhere.

In recent years, however, there has been a tendency to revise this view, and people are beginning, albeit reluctantly, to admit that the birthplace of Chinese civilization may indeed have been Hongshan (which means “red mountain” in Chinese, named after the site where it was found).

China’s current leaders have therefore announced that the focus of scientific research into the earliest origins of Chinese civilization will increasingly shift to the aforementioned region.

Along with this announcement, a series of books and TV documentaries are scheduled for the coming years, aiming to bring the Hongshan culture to greater attention among audiences worldwide. For now, only a few publications providing further information are available to us.

The standard work on this field of research was written by the Scottish Professor David C. Anderson, already mentioned above, and is titled “Hongshan Jade Treasures: The Art, Iconography and Authentication of Carvings from China’s Finest Neolithic Culture.” It is a highly informative and richly illustrated book. However, due to the growing interest in the Hongshan Culture, the book is becoming increasingly difficult to find.

If you are unable to obtain a copy, I recommend consulting the English-language Wikipedia page devoted to the “Hongshan Culture” (also available in many other languages).

There is no certainty about the precise age of this delicate sculpture; all that is known is that it possesses all the stylistic characteristics of this ancient, lost civilization.

The rare object will be shipped to the buyer immediately with a Track & Trace service, very well packed to prevent any damage during transit.