Lot 57
China, Shang Dynasty, 16th to 11th century BCE. An ornate white stone bi with a wide interior ring and a surface pattern of low relief designs that look like repeated scroll motifs connoting blowing winds of the celestial realm. Some of the scrolls are joined to others, forming angular shapes; others are on their own, all flowing around the body of the bi in a broad circle. Narrow smooth borders mark the edges. Custom stand included. Size: 4.75" W; height with stand: 6.1" H (12.1 cm; 15.5 cm).
Yu, the Chinese word for jade, is also an idea - connoting steadfastness and reliability, mirrored in the carving techniques required to make these intricate works of art. Yu is also not bound by the mineralogical definition of jade. Over the millennia that jade has been carved in China, the people have had varying degrees of access to sources of jade and nephrite. Hence, yu is rather a more general term for hard stone, much of it white, like this piece.
Bi discs are often associated with heavenly imagery, like this one, whose scroll motifs can be interpreted as blowing wind. From the Neolithic period forward, bi discs were buried with the dead, often broken or placed ceremonially on the body, usually near the stomach or chest, in high status burials. They also seem to have been used in life for rituals. The level of craftsmanship speaks to how highly valued this striking piece of sacred art was.
Provenance: Ex-private Georgia collection, collected prior to 1990
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#119831
- Condition: Small chips to edges; slight encrustation in lower profile areas; on front a small patch and on back a larger patch of green bronze patina, presumably from being buried alongside a bronze item.
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