Important Ancient Chinese Heavenly Jade Bi Disc with Green and White Pattern
$1,550.00
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This is an authentic Chinese ancient jade bi disc from the Qi Jia Culture, Northwestern China, 3,000-2,000 BCE. This comes from our private collection.
Dimensions: the bi disc is 3.25 inches diameter and with stand it is 4.75 inches high.
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 uneven thickness of this bi- an appropriate characteristic of these hand made, hand abraided works of art.
This example is scarce because of the beautiful green and white inclusions in the stone caused from calcification which took thousands of years to form. In addition this, this bi displays a beautiful cloud pattern calcium mineralization from being buried underground for thousands of years.
Provenance:
Our private collection and accompanied by our Schneible fine Arts LLC Lifetime Guarantee of Authenticity.
In addition, our jade bi have been authenticated by Mr. Gu Fang, Senior Fellow at the Center of Jadeology and Jade Culture in Beijing
This is a genuine ancient artifact and not a reproduction.
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.
Item Details
- Dimensions: N/A
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