Disk (bi 璧)

Perforated disk of the type pi [bi] 璧; bored from both sides, leaving pronounced median ridge; mottled light to medium olive greens and some reddish brown and slate-colored areas; partially covered on both sides with a silvery film of incipient disintegration; roughly cut saw marks on both sides; uneven in thickness. (Rim chipped and broken, numerous fissures and rough areas.)

Maker(s)
Artist: Liangzhu culture 良渚 (ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 3300-2250 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
Diam x D: 18.7 x 1.3 cm (7 3/8 x 1/2 in) Diam (hole): 4.6 cm (1 13/16 in)
Geography
China, Lake Tai region
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1917.19
On View Location
Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: disk (bi)

Keywords
China, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), nephrite
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Perforated disk of the type pi [bi] 璧; bored from both sides, leaving pronounced median ridge; mottled light to medium olive greens and some reddish brown and slate-colored areas; partially covered on both sides with a silvery film of incipient disintegration; roughly cut saw marks on both sides; uneven in thickness. (Rim chipped and broken, numerous fissures and rough areas.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Fang Gu. Yuqi shidai: Meiguo bowuguan cang Zhongguo zaoqi yuqi [The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums]. Beijing, 2009. pp. 72-73.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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