Disk (bi 璧)

Object Details

• Description

  Perforated disk; some translucent spots, obverse: mottled fawn and dull olive green with whitish areas of incipient disintegration; reverse: fawn colored with traces only of olive green; surface contour uneven; some roughened areas. (Rim chipped.)

  Acquired with a box, now lost.

• Provenance

  Reportedly excavated in An-hsi, Chekiang [1]

  Wu Dacheng (1835-1902) [2]

  To 1919

  You Xiaoxi (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1919 [3]

  1919

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi, in New York, in 1919 [4]

  From 1920

  Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [5]

  Notes:

  [1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record states: "Formerly in the collection of Wu Ta-ch'eng, of Kiangsu, and said to have been excavated at An-hsi, Chekiang."

  [2] See note 1.

  [3] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1413, pg. 333, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

  [4] See note 3.

  [5] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Previous custodian or owner

  Wu Dacheng 吳大澂 (1835-1902)

  You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (late 19th-early 20th century) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  (purportedly found at) Anxi, Zhejiang province, Lake Tai region, China

• Culture

  Liangzhu culture, ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Ceremonial Object

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 2000s, BCE 3000s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, You, Xiaoxi, Wu, Dacheng

• Place

  Anxi, Lake Tai region, China, Zhejiang province

• Topic

  Charles Lang Freer collection, Art, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), Chinese Art, Nephrite, Jade

• Culture

  Chinese, Liangzhu culture

• Object Type

  Ceremonial objects