Cong

2800-1900 B.C.

The cong is a jade tube in the form of a circle inside a square. Jades from the Liangzhu culture (west of present-day Shanghai) were often carved with masks, birds, humans, and abstract designs. This piece has stylized faces at the corners, with a total of eight pairs of bulging eyes. It was originally translucent green; the soft white color is calcification resulting from being buried for thousands of years.

The cong is an enigma from a time before the development of written language. Found in large numbers in archeological sites in southeast China, jade artifacts like this one likely played an important ritual function. They also indicate a highly stratified society in which only some members held enough power to command their production.

Nephrite

2 3/8 x 3 x 3 in. (6.03 x 7.62 x 7.62 cm)

Gift of the Foster family in memory of Albert O. Foster

88.112

Photo: Susan A. Cole

Now on view at the Asian Art Museum

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Chinese Art: A Seattle Perspective, Dec. 22, 2007 - July 26, 2009.

Tokyo, Japan, Suntory Museum of Art, Luminous Jewels: Masterpieces of Asian Art From the Seattle Art Museum, July 25 - Sept. 6, 2009 (Kobe, Japan, Kobe City Museum, Sept. 19 - Dec. 6, 2009; Kofu, Japan, Yamanashi Prefectural Museum of Art, Dec. 23, 2009 - Feb. 28, 2010; Atami, Japan, MOA Museum of Art, Mar. 13 - May 9, 2010; Fukuoka, Japan, Fukuoka Art Museum, May 23 - July 19, 2010).

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Luminous: The Art of Asia, Oct. 13, 2011 - Jan. 8, 2012.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing.

Published References"Selected Works." Seattle, WA: Seattle Art Museum, 1991, p. 155

Kawai, Masatomo, Yasuhiro Nishioka, Yukiko Sirahara, editors. "Luminous Jewels: Masterpieces of Asian Art From the Seattle Art Museum". 2009, The Yomiuri Shimbun, cat. no. 56

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