A LARGE HONGSHAN STYLE TURQUOISE MATRIX ZHULONG China, Hongshan Style but presumably dating to the later Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). Carved as a coiled stylized mythical animal, with incised circular eyes below pricked ears, and pierced with a circular aperture to the center between a slit and a smaller aperture for suspension. The opaque stone of mixed tones of turquoise, dark brown and ochre.

Condition: With areas of erosion, fissures, old wear, traces of use, few chips here and there, and a fine naturally grown patina.
Provenance: Ex-Collection of The Zelnik István Southeast Asian Gold Museum. Institutional art collection in Belgium, acquired from the above. Dr. István Zelnik, President of the Hungarian South and Southeast Asian Research Institute, is a former high-ranking Hungarian diplomat who spent several decades in Southeast Asia, building the largest known private collection of Asian art in Europe.

Weight: 275.7 g
Dimensions: Height 10 cm