[Ritual Implement] The shapes of most Chinese ritual jades were derived from late Neolithic stone implements. But the Cong are a striking exception. Ritual usage probably initially dictated their form.

Cong are always made of jade, but their exact function or meaning remains uncertain. They have been found in graves arranged around the corpse, suggesting they held the power to protect the dead in the afterlife.

Courtesy of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler.
Ritual implement (Cong), China, about 2500 B.C., jade

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