White Jade Silkworm Pendant, Carved in the Round with Protruding Eyes and a Pointed Tail

This is a classic and archaically styled Jade Silkworm pendant (or ornament).

• Dimensions and Weight: Based on your supplemental data, this jade silkworm measures 55mm in length, 18mm in width, with a maximum thickness of 14.5mm (tapering to 3.5mm). The weight is 14.6 grams. This weight is proportionate to its 55mm length and full-bodied form, suggesting a moderate and pleasant heft when held.

• Form and Carving:

  • Overall: Crafted using in-the-round carving (yuan diao), the piece is undecorated (guang su) with exceptionally concise lines. The form is plump and full-bodied, tapering naturally from the head to the tail in a highly abstracted manner.

  • Head: Carved with a pair of exaggerated, cylindrical protruding eyes (often called "telescopic eyes"). These prominent eyes give the piece a vivid spirit (shen yun).

  • Body: The silkworm's body is defined by several deep and strong incised string lines (or "tile-groove lines"), clearly delineating the segments. The lines are crisp and evenly spaced, demonstrating skilled craftsmanship.

  • Patina: The entire piece is polished to a smooth, lustrous finish. It exhibits a thick, mellow patina (bao jiang), presenting the "very oily" (you run) visual and tactile quality you noted, with a gentle, introverted sheen.

• Material and Color:

  • Jade Base: The material appears to be a white jade (bai yu) base, characterized by a fine and dense structure.

  • Coloration: As seen in the photos, the jade is not pure white but presents a uniform, soft creamy off-white (mi bai se) or pale ivory hue. This coloration is likely a combination of the jade's inherent slight-yellowish tone, compounded by millennia of handling, oxidation, or light staining, resulting in a naturally "matured" (shu hua) and ancient appearance.

  • Staining (Qin Se): At the very tip of the tail, a vivid orange-red stain (qin) or area of natural skin (pi se) is visible. This bright red spot contrasts beautifully with the creamy white body, acting as a "finishing touch" (dian jing zhi bi) that adds a sense of vitality.

• Stylistic Analysis: The form of this jade silkworm—particularly the exaggerated protruding eyes and the grooved, segmented body—is a highly distinct and typical characteristic of the Hongshan Culture (紅山文化). The jade silkworm was one of the most important totems for the ancestors of the Hongshan, symbolizing fertility, proliferation, and new life. The carving style is simplistic and abstract, focusing on capturing the spiritual essence rather than realism, and it is imbued with a primitive vitality. This is an excellent example of a "style-evident" (kai men) High Antiquity (Gao Gu) jade.

• Conclusion: This is a Hongshan Culture-style High Antiquity jade silkworm ornament, notable for its simple carving, unctuous patina, and distinct style. Its warm jade quality and charmingly archaic, vivid form, combined with its 14.6-gram weight, make it ideally suited for wear as a pendant or for appreciation as a tactile "handling piece" (wo jian). It holds significant artistic and collectible value.