Object: Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph (fragment) F1919.58a-c

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: 17.5 x 1.4 cm (6 7/8 x 9/16 in)

Origin: China, Lake Tai region, but purportedly found in Shanxi

Notes: but purportedly found in Shanxi

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1919.58a-c

: 刻符璧（殘損）
新石器時代晚期良渚文化（公元前3300--2250年）
中國太湖地區，原傳山西出土
軟玉
直徑17.5、厚1.4釐米；孔徑8釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾贈送
器物編號：F1919.58

Provenance: Reportedly excavated in Shanxi [1]

Duanfang (1861-1911) [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 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 the Viceroy Tuan Fang [Duanfang], and said to have been excavated in Shansi."

[2] See note 1.

[3] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1438, pg. 346, 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): Duanfang 端方 (1861-1911)
You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (C.L. Freer source) (late 19th-early 20th century)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Past label text: 1. (Keith Wilson, "Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades," Gallery 19, Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution, Oct. 14, 2017 to Apr 15, 2018)

Bi (fragment)
China, late Neolithic period, Liangzhu culture, ca. 3300–2250 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
Gift of Charles Lang Freer F1919.58

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. Formerly in the collection of the Viceroy Tuan Fang [Duanfang] 端方, and said to have been excavated in Shansi [Shanxi] 山西. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 346. $75.

2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Chou [Zhou] 周. See further, S.I. 1438, Appendix IX.

3. (Isabel Ingram Mayer, 1945) Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty. Compare device with those on F1917.79, F1917.348, and F1917.385, also F1917.346.

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

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

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

7. (Julia K. Murray, 1983) The motif lightly incised on pi [bi] 璧 F1919.58 is very similar to the lower part of the emblem incised on pi [bi] 璧 F1917.346. The abrupt termination of the motif on F1919.58 suggests that it is incomplete. Since the design halts abruptly at the rim, perhaps the pi [bi] 璧 was originally larger and subsequently cut down and repolished. For further discussion of this motif, see Folder Sheet F1917.346. See also Folder Sheet F1917.19 for a discussion of pi [bi] 璧. Attribution is changed from Western Chou [Zhou] 周 to Neolithic, ca. 2000 BCE.

8. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, March 3, 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.

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

10. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, April 20, 2010) Title changed from "Fragmentary disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph" to "Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph (fragment)."

11. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, June 17, 2010) Nephrite added as modifier to existing medium of "jade" based on conservation analysis.

12. (Jeffrey Smith, April 7, 2016) Transferred from Description: (Jenny So, from Jade Project Database) Mottled green and tan. (WG) retains much original color. Biconical hole, off-center, with ridge at meeting point. Evenly round, with large pieces missing from one section of circumference. Surface even and smooth on uninscribed face, result of repolishing when the disk was trimmed? Curved slice mark on face. Partial incised emblem right at cirumference, showing shield-shape with central oval marked by two lines. cf. F1917.346. Based on comparison with disks with complete emblems, original diameter should be ca. 25 cm.

(File folder) Thick perforated disc of the type "bi." Bored obliquely from both sides leaving irregular median ridge. Obverse has mottled dark shades of green with traces of tan and a light frosting of decomposition; reverse has less tan and profuse frosting. Decoration: lightly incised, a device near rim on obverse. Round saw gouges. (Rim has recent jagged breaks.) Box.

Published References

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. Liangzhu yuqi shang de shenmi fuhao. no. 117 Taipei, 1992. p. 32, fig. 6.
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.
You Xiaoxi. Description of antique Chinese paintings and brass wares as well as of porcelains of different ages, The Charles Lang Freer papers., 1919. p. 72, 77, No. 108.
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. 88-89.

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Disk (bi 璧) with incised glyph (fragment)

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