Old China, a large jade Bi disk measure: 14.75” diameter and .75” thick, Qing dynasty or earlier.

Including Our Certificate of Authenticity

The thick round heavenly ritual jade of a medium mottled green jade stone partially altered and retaining thin remnant sections inside the central hole.

A complimentary custom-made display Stand is included.

Examined by Gu Fang, Senior Fellow of the Institute of Archeology, Beijing Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

Jade bi and cong are regarded as cosmological symbols and as signifiers of status and wealth.

Neolithic jades from this period are handmade and hand abraided and hand polished using Primitive tools of the time: bamboo, stone, water and stone dust. Notice the considerable calcification on this example- evidence of submersion and great age.

Provenance: Our private collection and accompanied by our Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.

In addition, our jade bi has been authenticated by Mr. Gu Fang, Senior Fellow at the Center of Jadeology and Jade Culture in Beijing,

History:

Flat jade discs with a round central hole bi are among the earliest surviving artifacts of China and must be considered among great ancient art forms- masterpieces of the Neolithic period. Nephrite jade from which discs were fashioned is a prime hard and strong stone, arduous to work by hand using Primitive stone tools and abrasives. It’s no wonder then that jade discs bi represent remarkable craftsmanship.

While all theories presented to date are speculative, we can forward one Based Upon the warring states text Zhou Li that bi are thought to represent symbols of heaven and were used in ancient rituals together with square tubes cong symbolizing the earth. To worship heaven with a bi explains their importance and use. Bi also symbolize status of high social rank and sheds light on why many carved jades have been found in Zhou royal tombs. They are prominently found in varied qualities, quantities and sizes. Their ritual prominence stretches from the most ancient of Chinese history-Hongshan/Liangzhou/Longshan (4700-2190 BCE) Qi Jia cultures and on to the Zhou dynasty (3000-250 BCE) onwards.

Today jade bi are emblematic of power, status and privileged classes and offer more complex, varied meaning. Please refer to these excellent publications: Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, exhibition catalogue The British Museum, London, 1995, pp 13ff, and Section 4. And also Radiant Stones Archaic Chinese Jades, the Myrna and Samurai Myers collection 2000 curated by Filippo Salviati, PhD, entry 14, Bi Disc