The Warring States period, marked by strife between several strong independent countries, saw a development of inter-regional trade and commerce. With strong demand and consumption for luxury goods by the elite and high market competition from the various states, artistic innovation led to a rise of dynamic jade carving. Embellishments in the form of zoomorphic or floral flange-like elements that go beyond the boundaries of a jade object's given shape, such as those found on the present lot, demonstrates this. The addition of these ornate decorative elements on bi discs, was a marked departure from the austerity of earlier examples which had remained in shape largely a stark disc with a central aperture. For a discussion of this see R.Keverne, Jade, London, 1991, p.107.|Innovative composite carvings of linked pieces also demonstrates the creativity and great technical finesse utilised during this period to carve jades. Examples of conjoined or linked bi discs from this early period are very rare. Given the difficulty of manufacture that included carving the main pieces and links from a single stone, these would have been infrequently made and remain today in limited numbers. |Compare a related group of four linked bi discs, with similar tubular link sections, Eastern Zhou dynasty, in the British Museum, London, illustrated by J.Rawson, The British Museum Book of Chinese Art, London, 1992, p.72, fig.44. Other comparable but more complicated examples were found in the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, illustrated by Gu Fang, The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, pp.188-189. |青色玉質，器表大部分受沁呈現雞骨白色。玉璧扁平體，正圓形，外緣以陰線刻輪廓線，兩面則飾浮雕雲穀紋，壁兩側以線具鏤空技法雕兩組對稱的龍紋，龍身作S形，長頸挺胸，尾部上卷，一足前伸，後足向後收縮與玉璧相連。玉璧底部鏤空，並以活環將兩組雙龍玉璧相連，活環上陰刻幾何紋，造型新穎，工藝精湛。|戰國時期，百家爭鳴，思想解放，社會上層對藝術追求達到一個新的高峰。此時玉工鑑別及雕琢玉石的能力進一步提高，湧現大量精美玉器，其中包括用於禮儀以及裝飾的玉璧，此雙聯玉璧即為同類器物中稀有之例。有關對周朝玉璧在禮器上的用途及意義的討論，可參見R.Keverne，《Jade》，倫敦，1991年，頁107。|禮儀及裝飾用玉是春秋、戰國時期玉器中最精美、數量最多的部分。很多組玉佩都盛行於春秋晚期至戰國時期，其組成部分多種多樣，主要包括人形飾、牌飾、小型壁、環、璜、各形玉佩等，而此件小型玉壁則為其中少有一例，玉工使用一塊玉料，以透雕及鏤空手法雕成活環將兩個玉璧相連，實屬戰國裝飾禮玉中不可多得之品。倫敦大英博物館藏一例東周四聯龍紋玉壁可供參考，見J.Rawson，《The British Museum Book of Chinese Art》，倫敦，1992年，頁72，圖44。湖北隨州曾侯乙墓亦曾出土類似裝飾禮玉，亦有三個或更多活環連接而成，見古方，《中國古玉器圖典》，北京，2007年，頁188-189。