Chinese Works of ArtDISC WITH PATTERN OF RAISED BOSSES RUDING
Jade
China, Early Western Han, 3rd - 2nd Century BC

乳丁紋玉璧- 西漢早期, 公元前3世紀-前2世紀

This disc is carved out of a fine, white translucent jade with only minor but strong inclusions of iron concentrated along parts of the border: the inclusions have turned the original colour of the stone black, thus creating an interesting contrast between these blackened parts of the jade and the predominant white hue of the stone. The decoration, which covers both sides of the disc, is made up of tiny hexagons which are obtained by carving intersecting parallel lines across the whole surface of the jade. The pattern thus acquires an almost three-dimensional effect when the light hits the surface of the disc, creating a subtle interplay within the carved motif. The jade is of very high quality and has retained its original translucency which can be seen at its best when it is held up to the light which filters evenly through the object.

The disc can be compared to a similar one in the Nanjing Provincial Museum which was excavated in 1982 from a Han period tomb near the city of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province (reproduced in Yangzhou Museum, ed., “Han Guangling guo yuqi” [Jade Wares of Guangling, Han Dynasty], Beijing 2003, no. 29, p. 58). Another similar disc is published in “Gugong gu yu tu lu” (Illustrated Catalogue of Ancient Jade Artefacts), National Palace Museum, Taipei 1998, no. 193.

This pendant is published in Filippo Salviati 4000 YEARS OF CHINESE ARCHAIC JADES Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, no. 230

Provenance: From an old Austrian collection

DIAMETER 13 CM 直徑13 厘米