Disk (bi 璧)

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.

Maker(s)
Artist: Probably Liangzhu culture 良渚 (ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 3300-ca. 2350 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
Diam x D: 11.6 × 0.7 cm (4 9/16 × 1/4 in) Diam (hole): 5.9 cm (2 5/16 in)
Geography
China, Lake Tai region, Zhejiang province, (purportedly found at) Anxi
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1919.34
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: disk (bi)

Keywords
China, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), nephrite
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.

Previous Owner(s)

Wu Dacheng 1835-1902
Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
You Xiaoxi (C.L. Freer source) late 19th-early 20th century

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.

Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
Jades for Life and Death
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Terms of Use