A celadon and russet jade pig-dragon,Neolithic period, Hongshan culture新石器時代 紅山文化 青玉豬龍h. 10.2 cm拍品专文: This exceptional jade pig-dragon, or zhulong, is distinguished by its impressive size and extraordinary rarity. The upturned snout and prominent eyes, combined with its coiled body, evoke the image of a dragon. As such, the zhulong may represent the prototype of the dragon figure in Chinese art. As a quintessential artifact of the Hongshan culture (circa 3500 BC), it symbolizes the mature and intricate belief systems of the time.Archaeologists believes that the Liaoxi and Liaodong peninsulas and the upper and lower valleys of the Liao River as the source of the Hongshan culture, since numerous jade zhulong carvings have been unearthed at these areas. The pig-dragons were often found resting on the chest of the tomb occupants, which suggests that they may have originally been worn as chest ornaments. Although the primary purpose of the jade zhulong remains undetermined, fragments discovered at a goddess temple in Niuheliang, Liaoning province, imply a connection to fertility rituals. See related discussion by Elizabeth Childs-Johnson in ‘Jades of the Hongshan Culture’, Arts Asiatiques, vol. XLVI, December 1991, pp. 82-95.Compare with a large jade pig dragon in the Liaoning Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology, illustrated in Hongshan wenhua yuqi jianshang [Appreciation of Hongshan Culture Jade], Beijing, 2014, p. 94, no. 1; also with another one in Tianjin Museum, illustrated in Tianjin shi yishu bowuguan cang yu  [Jades in the Collection of Tianjin Art Museum], Hong Kong, 1993, pl. 7. Compare also with a jade pig dragon of similar style, illustrated in Roger Keverne, Jade, London, 1995, p. 62, fig. 22. See another jade pig dragon similarly with a large hole beside an unfinished drill, sold in Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2020, lot 21. 此件豬龍體量巨大，寬目大鼻，一穿，孔側有另一穿孔磨製痕跡，身體捲曲有力。紅山文化豬龍或為中國龍圖騰的早期樣式之一，可見中國文化源流悠久而廣博。此類玉豬龍主要出土於內蒙古紅山地區，延綿至遼東半島及遼河上游、下游河谷，距今約5000至8000年前。玉豬龍出土時多位於墓主胸前，推測或為胸前配掛之物。其儀禮用途雖未明晰，但是根據遼寧牛河梁遺址女神廟出土玉豬龍殘器推斷，或與繁衍生殖之祭祀相關，相關討論見Elizabeth Childs-Johnson 專文〈Jades of the Hongshan Culture〉，《Arts Asiatiques》，卷XLVI，1991年12月，頁82-95。遼寧省文物考古研究所藏一例，尺寸頗鉅，見《紅山文化玉器鑑賞》，北京，2014年，頁94，編號1；又可比較天津博物館藏一例，載於《天津市藝術博物館藏玉》，香港，1993年，圖版7。 Roger Keverne著錄一件玉豬龍亦資參考，見《Jade》，倫敦，1995年，頁62，圖22。相關蘇富比2020年10月9日售出一件黃玉豬龍，穿孔與本件頗似，大孔一側亦有穿孔淺痕。