Object: Disk (bi) with raised uniform curls arranged in a grid and masks S1987.462

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Historical period(s): Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE-9 CE

Object Date: 206 BCE-9 CE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): Diam x D: 18 × 0.6 cm (7 1/16 × 3/16 in) Diam (hole): 6.1 cm (2 3/8 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.462

: 凸面規則網格穀紋和獸面紋璧
西漢（公元前206-公元9年）
中國
軟玉
直徑18、厚0.6釐米；孔徑6.1釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.462

Provenance: To 1959
Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), Shanghai, China; London, England; Montreal, Canada; New York, NY; and Ridgefield, Connecticut [1]

From 1959 to 1963
Edna Bahr (1907-1986) by inheritance upon the death of Abel William Bahr [2]

From 1963 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, NY, purchased from the Bahr Collection in 1963 [3]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [4]

Notes:

[1] According to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009.

[2] Edna Bahr inherited upon the death of her father, Abel William Bahr. Edna Bahr divided the collection, making gifts to museums and selling to private collectors. She sold several pieces to Arthur M. Sackler in 1963.

[3] See #121: "Disk. Green with tan and brown stains. Surface has outer band of four taotie with double bodies; inner band of hexagonal dots in relief with spirals engraved on each one. Old surface imperfections," on list provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009, copy in object file.

[4] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.

Previous owner(s): Abel William Bahr (1877-1959)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

Description: Pale gray green with altered patches and earth accretions; cracked. Decorated on both faces a variation of more common version. Wide outer border: three frontal animal masks with ribbon like extensions on either side and interweaving with those issuing from masks.

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 8, 2008) Ceremonial Object added as secondary classification.
2. (Stephen Allee, March 24, 2009) Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, gives Period One as "Late Eastern Zhou 周 or Early Western Han 漢" and Date as "475-100 BCE"; but as per Keith Wilson, retained "Western Han 漢 dynasty" and changed Date from "200-1 BCE" to "2nd-1st century BCE." As per Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, added Previous Owner "Ex collection Abel William Bahr"; also added Description, Related Works, and Published References (1 item). As per Keith Wilson, changed Title from "Flat disk (Bi 璧) with surface decoration" to "Disk (bi 璧) with dragons and spirals"; changed Object Name from "Disk (bi 璧)" to "Ceremonial object." Changed Medium "Jade" to "Jade (?)" as no scientific analysis is recorded. Added Measurements (Diam x D: 18.0 x 0.55; Diam [ hole]: 6.1), as per Christine Lee, Jade Project Database.
3. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, July 11, 2022) Medium changed from "Jade (?)" to "Jade (nephrite)."
4. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, June 7, 2023) Title changed from "Disk (bi) with dragons and spirals" to "Disk (bi) with raised uniform curls arranged in a grid and masks"; and Date changed from "2nd-1st century BCE" to "206 BCE-9 CE."

Published References

Shuping Deng. Publication title unknown. p. 43.

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Disk (bi) with raised uniform curls arranged in a grid and masks

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