An attractive Chinese Heavenly jade Bi disk carved in a rarely found black jade with patches of blue and brown accents in the stone that depict an earthy ancient feel .

This comes from our private collection which we formed over a period of twenty years while traveling extensively throughout all of China.

Dimensions: bi disc is 5 inches high with custom stand as shown; bi disc only is 4 inches diameter

Jades were handmade and hand abraided and hand polished using tools of the time: bamboo, stone, water and stone dust . Notice the considerable calcification on the bottom edge of this example- evidence of submersion and good age.

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

Jade bi and Cong History

These bi are regarded as cosmological symbols and as signifiers of status and wealth. These jades are hand abraided and hand polished using special polishing tools with stone, water. Notice the beautiful colors and “waves” pattern in the stone, uncommon in this kind of jade.

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

Early 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.