Object: Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph F1917.346

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: 24.5 x 1.3 cm (9 5/8 x 1/2 in)

Origin: China, Lake Tai region, purportedly found at Anxi, Zhejiang province

Notes: purportedly found at Anxi, Zhejiang province

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1917.346

: 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，傳浙江安溪出土
軟玉
直徑24.5、厚1.3釐米；孔徑4.3釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾贈送
器物編號：F1917.346

Provenance: Reportedly excavated in Anki in Chekiang province [1]

To 1917
You Xiaoxi (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1917 [2]

From 1917 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi, in New York, in 1917 [3]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [4]

Notes:

[1] According to Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record.

[2] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1286, pg. 287, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[3] See note 2.

[4] 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): You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (C.L. Freer source) (late 19th-early 20th century)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Past label text: 1. Ancient Chinese Jade, September 4, 1980–March 6, 1981; by Julia K. Murray (shown with F1917.79 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 F1917.79 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 F1917.79, 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)

4. Liangzhu 良渚 and its Legacy, November 4, 2010–January 3, 2016; by Keith Wilson (shown with F1917.79, F1917.348, and 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 F1917.346

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 Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪, of Shanghai 上海, in New York. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 287. $230.

2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Shang 商. See further, S.I. 1286, Appendix VIII. Excavated in Anki [Anxi] 安溪 in Chekiang [Zhejiang] 浙江 province.

3. (Archibald Gibson Wenley, 1945) Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty.

4. (Isabel Ingram Mayer, 1946) The device is in the form of a bird on a goblet shaped perch above a shield shaped base in the center of which is a character or symbol in the form of an oval with two vertical lines. Cf. device on F1917.79, which is very similar, differing in the field decoration; also device on F1917.348, where the goblet shaped form is missing. See also devices on F1919.58 and F1917.385 for variations.

5. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Sp. G. is 3.008. Nephrite.

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

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

8. (Julia K. Murray, 1983) The enigmatic emblems that are lightly incised on one side of this pi [bi] 璧 and on three other pi [bi] 璧 in the Freer Collection (F1917.79, F1917.348, and F1919.58) are identified by Hayashi Minao 林巳奈夫 with the Liang chu [Liangzhu] 良渚 culture, which flourished in Kiangsu [Jiangsu] 江蘇 and Chekiang [Zhejiang] 浙江 provinces during the 3rd millennium BCE (see Hayashi Minao 林巳奈夫, "Ryōsho bunka no gyokki jakkan o megutte 良渚文化の玉器若干をめぐって = Jade of the Liang-chu Culture," Museum 360 (1981), pp. 22--33). In style and concept they also relate to the two motifs on the tall jade ring F1917.385. The appearance of incised decoration and the unusually careful workmanship on these jades suggest that they were ceremonial pieces of great value and importance. See Folder Sheet F1917.19 for a discussion of pi [bi] 璧.

9. (Undated Folder Sheet note) See F1917.79 no. 12.

10. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, February 26, 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.

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

12. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, May 12, 2010) Nephrite added as modifier to existing medium of "jade" based on conservation analysis.

13. (Jeffrey Smith, April 7, 2016) Transferred from Description: Mottled green, yellow, tan, and brown. Biconical hole, centered on emblem face, off-center on opposite face, with ridge at meeting point. Evenly round, slight damage at rim, veritcal wall of outer edge gently concave. Surface: Incised emblem of bird on goblet-like pedestal set on top of shield-shape with stepped top. An oval marked by two lines occupies the center of the shield (cf. incomplete emblem on 19.58). Incisions neatly and confidently executed (unlike F1917.79 and F1917.348).

Perforated disc of the type "bi." Bored from both sides leaving median ridge. Obverse of mottled rich greens, blue and dull yellow, some deep red veins and tan strata cracks. Reverse of mottled olive brown, olive green and some yellow, tan strata cracks. Light frosting of incipient disintegration, more pronounced on reverse. Decoration: lightly incised, a bird device. (Rim broken and chipped.) Box.

Published References

Alfred Salmony. Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty. New York, 1963. pl. 7, fig. 2.
Minao Hayashi. Chugoku kodai no sakegame., reprint: Kokogaku zasshi, vol. 65, no. 2 (1979) pp. 97-118. Tokyo, 1979. pl. 21.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
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. 7.
Minao Hayashi. Jade of the Liang-chu Culture. no. 360 Tokyo, March 1981. p. 23, fig. 3c.
Shuping Deng. Liangzhu yuqi shang de shenmi fuhao. no. 117 Taipei, 1992. p. 32, fig. 7.
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.
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.82-83.
New Perspectives on China's Past: Chinese Archaeology in the Twentieth Century. 2 vols., Kansas City and New Haven, 2004. p. 172.

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Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph

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