Object: Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph F1917.79

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Maker(s): Artist: Liangzhu culture 良渚 (ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE)

Historical period(s): Late Neolithic period, ca. 3300-2250 BCE

Object Date: ca. 3300-2250 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): Diam x D: 31.8 x 1.4 cm (12 1/2 x 9/16 in) Diam (hole): 4.6 cm (1 13/16 in) H x W (inscription): 4.8 × 1.9 cm (1 7/8 × 3/4 in)

Origin: China, Lake Tai region

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1917.79

: 刻符璧
新石器時代晚期良渚文化（公元前3300--2250年）
中國太湖地區
軟玉
直徑31.8、厚1.4釐米；孔徑4.6釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾贈送
器物編號：F1917.79

Provenance: To 1917
Li Wenqing (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1917 [1]

From 1917 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Li Wenqing, in New York, in 1917 [2]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1166, pg. 268, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives. See also, Voucher No. 18, December 1916.

[2] See note 1.

[3] 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): Li Wenqing 李文卿 (C.L. Freer source) (ca. 1869-1931)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Description: Very large perforated disk of the type pi [bi] 璧; bored from both sides, leaving median ridge; mottled dark and light greens, golden tan, and brown; cream-colored cloudings and white veins of decomposition on obverse, profuse on reverse; decoration: light incised device. (Break and chip on rim.)

Past label text: 1. Ancient Chinese Jade, September 4, 1980–March 6, 1981; by Julia K. Murray (shown with F1917.346 and F1917.348; additional jades organized by types shown in same case)

2. Studies in Connoisseurship: 1923–1983, September 23, 1983–March 1, 1984; by Julia K. Murray (shown with F1917.346 and F1917.348; additional jades organized by types shown in same case)

When acquired, these three pi [bi] 璧 disks were attributed variously to the Han 漢 (F1917.79) and Chou [Zhou] 周 (F1917.346 and F1917.348) dynasties. In addition to their unusually fine polish, these pi [bi] 璧 are remarkable for the incised decoration, which appears on one surface about halfway between rim and center. The images are those of birds standing on emblematic forms. The outer rims of these three pi [bi] 璧 are slightly concave in profile, unlike the vast majority of pi [bi] 璧 which are straight edged.

Well-polished pi [bi] 璧 disks have been excavated from Neolithic remains in eastern China, indicating that the technical capability for such sophisticated workmanship already existed in prehistoric times. The Japanese scholar Hayashi Minao 林巳奈夫 has recently linked the incised emblems to the Liang chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 culture, primarily on the basis of similar motifs executed in other media—pottery, bone, and wood. However, no jade pi [bi] 璧 exactly like the present examples have been excavated thus far, and their attribution to the Liang chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 culture remains tentative.

3. Ancient Chinese Art, May 9, 1993–May 18, 1998; by Jenny F. So (shown with F1917.346, F1917.348, F1917.65, F1917.385, F1916.118, F1916.410)
Ritual disk, Bi 璧
China, Liangzhu 良渚 culture
Neolithic period, ca. 3500–3000 BCE
Jade (nephrite)

This disk is distinguished by its extraordinary size and an unusually elaborate version of the bird-and-shield emblem, both symbols of the owner’s power and position.

4. Liangzhu 良渚 and its Legacy, November 4, 2010–January 3, 2016; by Keith Wilson (shown with F1917.346, F1917.348, F1917.385)
Inscribed bi 璧 disks and bracelet
Neolithic period, Liangzhu 良渚 culture, ca. 3300–2250 BCE
Jade (nephrite)

These disks and bracelet are each marked by extremely rare pictographic inscriptions that probably signify clan ownership. Two of the three bi 璧 were purportedly found at the same site at Anxi 安溪 in Zhejiang 浙江 province, near the geographic center of the Liangzhu 良渚 culture. Each has a similar design that combines a bird in profile on a stepped geometric base containing solar symbols. The sun and moon appear together on one side of the bracelet (F1917.385), opposite a design possibly showing a flying bird with outstretched wings. Although these incised marks cannot be called true writing, a similar pictorial approach is evident in the earliest known Chinese written characters.

The bi 璧 at the top (F1917.348) is one of the few Liangzhu 良渚 disks with a decorated edge. Faintly described in sunken lines, the design features pairs of birds and fish separated by bands of finely incised scroll patterns.

Liangzhu 良渚 jade bi 璧
Thousands of jade bi 璧, too large to be worn as jewelry, have been unearthed in elite burial sites associated with the Liangzhu 良渚 culture. Variations are apparent in the size of the disks, the quality of the stone used, the level of workmanship, and the finish of the bi 璧, yet their meaning, purpose, and ritual significance remain unknown. A century ago Charles Lang Freer acquired all of these bi 璧 largely for their aesthetic appeal at a time when nothing was known of the Liangzhu 良渚 culture.

Usually fashioned from even-grained dark nephrite, the most exceptional examples of bi 璧 are perfectly circular in circumference. On some, traces of sawing and grinding have been completely polished away, and the smooth surfaces are buffed to a lustrous shine. In many cases, however, the flawed stone is irregular in shape, and the disk still retains intriguing evidence of its manufacture.

Working jade is an extremely laborious process that involves both slicing and removing unwanted stone with powdered abrasive minerals, such as quartz, garnet, or corundum. Slabs were cut from boulders of jade probably found in river beds. The back-and-forth movement of flexible string or strap saws typically left traces of shallow concave cut marks. A rigid stone saw might have shaped the outer edges with a series of straight cuts. Hollow tubular bits, aided by mineral abrasives and water, could have been used to drill the central hole from both sides of the disk to avoid breakage. A tiny projecting ridge inside the hole remains if the drill bits were improperly aligned. To finish the bi 璧, the outer edge might have been turned on a lathe. Lastly, the surface was polished with fine abrasives to create a high sheen.

5. (Keith Wilson, "Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades," Gallery 19, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Oct. 14, 2017 to Apr 15, 2018)

Bi
China, late Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, ca. 3300–2250 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1917.79

Making a Mark
These disks, tube, and bracelet are all marked by extremely rare pictographic inscriptions. Most possess a stepped geometric frame that contains a round element thought to represent the sun. In some instances, a bird perches on top. The sun and moon appear together on one side of the bracelet; opposite them might be a flying bird with outstretched wings. All of these inscriptions could refer to clan ownership.

Although these marks cannot be called true writing, the earliest known Chinese characters take a similar pictorial approach.

Curatorial Remarks

1. Bought from Lee Van Ching [Li Wenqing] 李文卿, of Shanghai 上海, in New York. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 268. $400.

2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Han 漢. See further, S.I. 1166, Appendix VIII.

3. (John Ellerton Lodge, 1927) Pre Han 漢.

4. (Archibald Gibson Wenley, 1945) The incised device may be a later addition.

5. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Sp. G. is 3.001. Nephrite.

6. (Isabel Ingram Mayer, 1946) The device is in the form of a bird on a goblet shaped perch above a shield shaped stand with crenellated top; an unidentified elaborate symbol is in the field and a simple geometric design at the base. Cf. device on F1917.346, which is very similar, and also that on F1917.348; for other forms of the device, see F1919.58 and F19 17.385.

7. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Exhibited: The Art Institute of Chicago, Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Paintings, Sculptures, and Jade Objects from the Collection Formed by Charles Lang Freer (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1917), no. 110.

8. (H. Elise Buckman, 1964) The Envelope File contained no further information, and has now been destroyed.

9. (Thomas Lawton, 1978) Western Chou [Zhou] 周.

10. (Julia K. Murray, 1980) From Ancient Chinese Jade exhibition label: Attribution changed from Western Chou [Zhou] 周 to Neolithic, ca. 2000 BCE.

11. (Julia K. Murray, 1983) For further discussion of the motif incised on the surface of this pi [bi] 璧, see Folder Sheet F19 17.346. See also Folder Sheet F1917.19 for a discussion of pi [bi] 璧.

12. (Julia K. Murray, September 1983) Exhibition Studies in Connoisseurship: 1923--1983 label text; moved to label field.

13. (Jenny F. So, January 1996) "ca. 2000 BCE" changed to "ca. 3000--2500 BCE."

14. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, February 8, 2008) On this date entered: Period One (Late Neolithic period), Date (ca. 5000--ca. 1700 BCE), Artist (Liangzhu 良渚 culture), Title, Object name, Geographical region (Lake Tai 太湖 region); plus Description per Jenny F. So and Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database.

15. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) Ceremonial Objects added as secondary classification.

16. (Jeffrey Smith, April 7, 2016) Transferred from Description: 1. (Jenny So, from Jade Project Database) Color: Mottled light and dark green, golden tan, and brown. Hole: Biconical hole, off-center, almost round, vertical outer wall gently concave. Surface: Even and smoothly polished, especially on face with emblem. Decoration: Incised emblem of bird on goblet-like pedestal, set on stepped top of shield-shape, its center occupied by roundel-like symbol on a base. Additional angular meanders inside the base of the shield. Very large perforated disc of the type bi. Bored from both sides leaving median ridge. Mottled dark and light greens, golden tan and brown; cream colored cloudings and white veins of decomposition on obverse, profuse on reverse. Decoration: light incised device. (Break and chip on rim.)

Published References

Frederick William Gookin. Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Paintings, Sculptures and Jade Objects from the Collection formed by Charles Lang Freer, and Given by Him to the Nation through the Smithsonian Institution, Exhibition November 15 to December 8, 1917. Exh. cat. Chicago, November 15 - December 8, 1917. no. 110, p. 47.
Alfred Salmony. Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty. New York, 1963. pl. 7, fig. 3.
Benjamin Rowland, Laurence Sickman, H. G. Henderson, Robert Treat Paine, Richard Ettinghausen, Eric Schroeder. The University Prints. Oriental Art Series O 4 vols. Newton, Massachusetts, 1938-1941. Section 2: Early Chinese Art, pl. 107.
Minao Hayashi. Chugoku kodai no sakegame., reprint: Kokogaku zasshi, vol. 65, no. 2 (1979) pp. 97-118. Tokyo, 1979. pl. 22.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
Na Chih-liang. "玉器通史." Yu ch'i t'ung shih [A General Study of Chinese Jade]. Hong Kong, 1965. p. 6, fig. 9.
Julia Murray. Neolithic Chinese Jades in the Freer Gallery of Art. vol. 14, no. 11 Hong Kong, November 1983. p. 16.
Shuping Deng. Tianming xuanniao, jianger shengshang: guyu huawen suo fanying de gudai xinyang. no. 42 Taipei, 1986. p. 19, fig. 6.
Minao Hayashi. Jade of the Liang-chu Culture. no. 360 Tokyo, March 1981. p. 23, fig. 3b.
Shuping Deng. Liangzhu yuqi shang de shenmi fuhao. no. 117 Taipei, 1992. p. 32, fig. 8.
Wu Hung. Bird Motifs in Eastern Yi Art. vol. 16, no. 10 Hong Kong, October 1985. p. 35.
Elizabeth Childs-Johnson. Dragons, Masks, Axes and Blades from Four Newly-documented Jade-producing Cultures of Ancient China. vol. 19, no. 4 Hong Kong, 1988. p. 36, fig. 22.
Rende You. Shouwen yu xiaowen de youhuo: Xinfaxian de chuanshi Longshan wenhua yuqi. no. 138 Taipei, 1994. p. 55, fig. 8.
Chuping Dong. Liangzhu wenhua chuangshi shenhua buzheng. no. 174, 1997. p. 78, fig. 3.
Chang Wen-chi. "中国玉器歷代史." Chung-kuo yu ch'i li tai shih. Hong Kong, 1978. p. 87.

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Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph

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