Disk (bi 璧)
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
ca. 2250-1900 BCE -
Geography
Northwest China -
Material
Jade (nephrite) -
Dimension
Diam x D: 46 x 1.5 cm (18 1/8 x 9/16 in) -
Accession Number
F1956.16 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1956.16
Object Details
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Description
Pi [bi] 璧. Mottled green and brown nephrite.(Jenny F. So, from Jade Project Database) Largest disk in the collection, and among the largest known. Conical hole with pronounced slanted wall. Gray green nephrite with dark green banding in original colors, not altered. Inhomogeneous but stratified texture unlike that often seen on Liangzhu 良渚 disks. Uneven surface, with remains of curved slice mark on one face. Finished size is almost size of original boulder, with “skin” spanning almost half the circumference. -
Provenance
To 1956Tonying and Company, New York [1]From 1956Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Tonying and Company, New York [2]Notes:[1] See Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.[2] See note 1. -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes (November 20, 2010 to January 3, 2016)Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963) -
Previous custodian or owner
Tonying and Company 通運公司 (established 1902) -
Origin
Northwest China -
Culture
Qijia culture, ca. 2250-ca.1900 BCE -
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment -
Type
Ceremonial Object -
On View
Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
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