此璧氣量恢宏，珍罕難遇，取含沁白玉精琢而成，後人視之，唯嘆中華先古神技妙藝。其尺寸魁碩已引人注目，凝神細看，雙面均佈乳丁，顆粒勻圓，頂部出廓透雕螭龍瑞獸，姿態靈動，更令人目不暫捨。
螭龍瑞獸顧盼交纏，栩栩如生，較同時代類例尤逸群出眾。通體線條流麗，纖毫盡現，既見奇工絕巧，又見古人對玉尊崇有加，寄深意於美玉。細考歷史淵源及美學造詣，乃知此璧制式非同尋常，溯源上至天子宮苑、下至王侯大墓，歷經數千年，仍備受尚古藏雅之士蒐求。
This rare and magnificent jade disc, resplendent in its milky-white hue and russet inclusions, stands as a testament to the exceptional artistry of ancient China. While its large size commands attention as the embodiment of grandeur, the present disc is equally admirable on closer inspection, adorned with a hypnotic lattice of ‘rice grains’ and topped with a sumptuous design of intricate openwork.
With mythical beasts whirling together, delicately poised atop the ancient disc, the present bi exudes a sense of movement and vitality almost unmatched among other extant examples of the period. Each delicate curve and detail reflects not only the technical prowess involved in its creation but also the deep reverence for jade as a material imbued with profound meaning. Delving deeper into the history and beauty of this remarkable bi disc, one uncovers the rich narrative hewn into its form– a narrative begun in ancient palaces and imperial tombs; one that spans millennia and continues to this day in the hearts and minds of collectors.
Estimate
2,000,000 - 5,000,000 HKD
25.4 cm
Provenance
Chinhuatang Collection, Taipei, acquired prior to 1999.
Yangdetang Collection.
Christie's Hong Kong, 28th November 2018, lot 2780.
An important Asian private collection.
金華堂收藏，台北，1999年以前購入
養德堂收藏
香港佳士得2018年11年28日，編號2780
重要亞洲私人收藏
Literature
Teng Shu-p’ing, Collectors’ Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Palace Museum, Taipei, 1999, cat. no. 199, pp. 286-287.
鄧淑蘋，《羣玉別藏續集》，台北，1999年，圖版199號，頁286-287
Exhibited
Collectors’ Exhibition of Archaic Chinese Jades, Palace Museum, Taipei, 1999, cat. no. 199.
《羣玉別藏續集》，故宮博物院，台北，編號199
玉形圓扁平、中有小孔，乃曰「璧」，新石器時代已有之，初見於長三角一帶良渚文化（約公元前3300-2300年）。良渚時期尚無文字，玉璧因何而造已難考證，然琢玉成璧耗時耗力，可想璧之所用，必與信仰密不可分。上古玉璧僅見於豪華墓葬，陪同玉器亦有若干，顯然，因雋美無缺且蘊涵信仰，玉璧自古為人珍視。
光陰荏苒，王朝興替，玉璧象徵神力、兆示君權，受人崇敬歷久不衰。儒家經典《周禮》（約公元前300年）稱璧為禮玉「六器」之一，云「以蒼璧禮天」。此後歷朝，皇帝祭祀天地時皆執圭、璧，《後漢書‧明帝紀》載：「朕以暗陋，奉承大業，親執圭璧，恭祀天地。」漢代王侯元旦朝賀亦執璧，且王侯用璧由少府發給，《後漢書‧禮儀志》載：「每歲首正月，為大朝受賀。其儀：夜漏未盡七刻，鐘鳴，受賀。及贄，公、侯璧」，《後漢書‧百官志》又載：「（大夫）掌奉王使至京都，奉璧賀正月……朝侯賀正月執璧云。」納聘皇后也用玉璧，《後漢書‧皇后紀下》載，桓帝納梁皇后，「悉依孝惠皇帝納后故事，聘黃金二萬斤，納采鴈璧乘馬束帛，一如舊典。」古人事死如事生，玉璧於死後信仰亦意義重大。1972年，西漢馬王堆辛追夫人（約公元前217-169年）墓於長沙出土，轟動中外，墓中帛畫保存善好，描述墓主人死後往生景象；帛畫中，此世與他界以一玉璧銜接，由此推知，古人信奉玉璧神力可助永生極樂。
玉璧信仰於漢代方興未艾，與此同時，玉璧亦漸為世人奉為財富、權勢及美德之象徵。其價值幾何，據《禮記》（約公元前二世紀）載，孔子有云：
「夫昔者君子比德於玉焉：溫潤而澤，仁也；縝密以栗，知也；廉而不劌，義也；垂之如隊，禮也；叩之其聲清越以長，其終詘然，樂也；瑕不掩瑜、瑜不掩瑕，忠也；孚尹旁達，信也；氣如白虹，天也；精神見於山川，地也；圭璋特達，德也。天下莫不貴者，道也。」
製玉工藝不斷發展，顯貴階層漸趨追求匠心妙巧、作工考究之玉，以昭示其顯赫地位。自周朝以來，玉璧表面以穀紋、蒲紋等為飾，經玉匠不懈鑽研，紋飾更得精進。隨失蠟鑄金、透雕動物等技藝由中亞傳入中國，玉匠汲取新思，對玉璧形制加以變化，於傳統渾圓之上添設出廓，透雕精密紋飾。新石器時代玉璧素無紋飾，而至漢代，紋飾精美繁複，不一而足，顯貴持之，各與自身相匹。因尺寸碩大，出廓璧不宜佩帶，多放置安妥，象徵主人身份；主人生時，用之禮天，主人死後，以之隨葬。
漢墓出土玉璧若干，璧面多有紋飾，然遍看同時代顯貴所持，瑰美富麗如此件者寥寥無幾。一璧可比，尺寸相當（25.9公分），出廓雕雙龍，西漢劉勝（公元前113年卒）之豪華大墓出土，滿城，河北，圖見《中國美術全集・卷9：玉器》，圖版164；另一璧（25.5公分），東漢劉焉墓出土，今定縣，出處同前，圖版190。
漢室衰頹後，漢代禮制亦隱入往昔不可追考，縱時移勢易，玉璧仍象徵權勢、榮耀乃至精誠。清朝盛世距漢代已逾千五百年，然清天子仍將漢代玉璧奉若至寶。雍、乾二帝對漢代古玉心往神馳，宮中藏有玉璧若干，可與此件一比。如一白玉璧，透雕螭龍紋，繪於雍正六年（1728年）《古玩圖》兩卷之一，圖卷現藏倫敦大英博物館；再比較東漢玉璧兩件，尺寸較小，出廓透雕瑞獸及「益壽」、「長樂」，亦屬清宮舊藏，現存北京故宮博物院，錄於《故宮博物院藏文物珍品全集・玉器（上）》，香港，1995年，圖版216、217。乾隆舊藏中有另一東漢玉璧，嵌於紫檀插屏，帶御題詩，售於香港蘇富比2021年4月22日，編號9。誠然，乾隆帝對此類華美古玉青睞有加，更命宮廷作坊仿製；可比一組，作「長宜子孫」四字，其中一件同場呈現。
此件玉璧尺寸魁碩，雕工細膩，玉質瑩潔，尤稀見於市場。通體作飾，雙面乳丁紋星羅棋布，井然有序，出廓部分以螭龍居中，身軀豐健，步態神武，一側鳳鳥尾翼長卷，形姿高雅，另側瑞獸登雲而上，肢體矯捷，皆形神兼備。再比海外博物館所藏漢代玉璧兩件，皆透雕相類紋飾，其一，藏華盛頓國立亞洲藝術博物館，弗利爾收藏，藏品編號F1916.155（圖一），圖見該館官網；其二，藏舊金山亞洲藝術博物館，錄《海外遺珍‧玉器（二）》，台北，1991年，圖版41。
Jade discs of this type, known from antiquity as ‘bi,’ first emerged in the Neolithic period, produced by the Liangzhu culture (ca. 3300-2300 BCE) in the Yangtze River Delta. Although the Liangzhu appears to have been a preliterate civilisation and the reason behind the creation of the bi now lost to the sands of time, the hours of manual labour and careful abrasion required to form these large smooth discs leaves no doubt as to their ritual significance. Found in only the most lavish of tombs alongside other early jade implements, these ancient bi were clearly treasured even in antiquity for their captivating beauty and spiritual associations.
As the centuries rolled on and new kingdoms and dynasties rose and fell, the bi continued to be admired as a mysterious symbol of spiritual energy and political power. As recorded in the Confucian Classic, the Zhou li (‘The Rites of Zhou’, ca. 300 BCE), jade bi soon became formally canonised as one of the ‘Six Jade Implements,’ and associated with sacrifices to Heaven; waved in predetermined directions and offered by noblemen as a sign of their devotion. Alongside their function in life, jade discs also continued to play a role in the cosmology of death. Excavated in 1972 from the famous Western Han tomb of Lady Dai (Xin Zhui, ca. 217-169 BCE) in Changsha, a remarkably well-preserved banner seems to illustrate the noblewoman’s ascent into the afterlife. Decorated sequentially with scenes of death, mourning and eventual transcendence, the banner also features a prominent jade bi between scenes of this world and the next. This may support the theory that bi discs, frequently buried with their owners, were seen to perform some important ritual function, aiding the soul in its journey to the afterlife.
However, although jade discs continued to play an important religious role well into the Han dynasty, they also began to develop a more abstract role as symbols of wealth, power and virtue. This symbolic value is most aptly described in the Liji (‘Book of Rites’, ca. 2nd century BCE), attributed to Confucius:
“In ancient times, the noble ones would compare their virtues with jade: it is warm and watery like benevolence; compact and solid, like knowledge; pure and unyielding like righteousness; hanging down as if to fall like ritual propriety; when struck, it produces a clear and resonant sound which stops abruptly, like joy; its flaws do not overshadow its beauty, nor does its beauty overshadow its flaws, like loyalty; its radiant colour emerges from within, like trust; its energy is as if a white rainbow, like Heaven; and its spirit revealed in mountains and rivers, like the Earth; standing out as a symbol of high rank, like virtue; it is treasured by all under heaven, just like the Way.”
‘PIN YI’, LIJI, WRITER’S TRANSLATION
As lapidary technology continued to improve, members of the elite began to demand increasingly refined and intricate jade designs to best highlight their status and nobility. Beginning in the Zhou dynasty with the incorporation of small spirals, lattices and ‘grain’ designs across the surface of the bi, artisans continued to produce ever finer pieces for their wealthy patrons. As lost-wax gold casting techniques and openwork animal plaques arrived in China from Central Asia, artisans began to look beyond the traditional round form of the bi and incorporated richly detailed finials of vast and complex designs. A far cry from the unadorned disc of the Neolithic period, these complex and enthralling designs were produced to unique specifications for individual members of the nobility. Far too large and complex to be worn as pendants as their predecessors in the Zhou may have been, these grand objects took on a life of their own; displayed as status symbols, used in esoteric rituals to commune with the heavens, and, finally, buried alongside their owners as they passed into the world to come.
While many bi with decorated surfaces have been found in Han dynasty tombs, it appears that this opulent variety with intricate openwork was very rare even at the time and restricted to only the most wealthy and powerful clients. Compare a related bi disc of similar size (25.9 cm) topped with addorsed dragons, excavated from the sumptuously decorated Western Han tomb of Prince Liu Sheng (d. 113 BCE) in Mancheng, Hebei, illustrated in Zhongguo meishu quanji, vol. 9: Yuqi, pl. 164; and another (25.5 cm) from the Eastern Han tomb of Prince Liu Yan in modern-day Dingxian, Hebei, ibid., pl. 190.
Even as the rites and rituals of the Han evolved and faded into obscurity, these elaborate bi discs endured as an eternal symbol of power, piety and splendour in an ever-changing world. At the height of the Qing dynasty, more than fifteen hundred years later, Han jade discs continued to be treasured by the imperial court as enthralling relics from a bygone age. The Yongzheng and Qianlong Emperors were known to be particularly fascinated by the beauty and mystery of the archaic and had a number of closely related jade bi in their collections. Compare, for example, a large white bi with closely related chi dragon openwork, illustrated in the first of the two extant Guwantu (‘Pictures of Antiques’) handscrolls depicting the Yongzheng Emperor’s extensive collection of antiques, dated in accordance with 1728 and preserved in the British Museum, London; and two smaller Eastern Han bi topped with ‘mythical beast’ openwork and the characters yi shou (‘longevity’) and chang le (‘eternal happiness’) respectively, also preserved in the collection of the Qing Court and now held in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (I), Hong Kong, 1995, pls 216 and 217. Another closely related large Eastern Han bi was similarly treasured in the collection of the Qianlong Emperor, mounted in an imperial zitan stand, inscribed with a poem composed by the Emperor himself, and sold in these rooms for over fifty-three million Hong Kong dollars, 22nd April 2021, lot 9. Indeed, the Qianlong Emperor was so struck by the grandeur of these ancient forms that he also commissioned the imperial workshop to carve a number of reproductions of this ornate type. Compare a particularly celebrated group of this type incorporating the phrase chang yi zisun ('to benefit future generations forever'), including one offered in the present sale.
Jade bi of this phenomenal size, detailed carving and enthralling white colouration are exceptionally rare and very seldom appear on the market. Compare two further large Han discs with related openwork designs in museums outside of China: one from the Freer Collection in the National Museum of Asian Art, Washington D.C., acc. no. F1916.155 (fig. 1); and the second in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Hai-wai Yi-chen. Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Jade II, Taipei, 1991, pl. 41.
Large Chinese Jade Bi Disc FAQ
1. What is a bi disc?
A bi disc is a circular, flat jade object with a central hole. It first appeared during the Neolithic period in China, specifically within the Liangzhu culture (c. 3300-2300 BCE). Bi discs were highly valued objects, likely imbued with spiritual significance due to the time and effort required for their creation. They are often found in elaborate tombs alongside other jade artifacts.
2. What is the historical significance of bi discs?
Over centuries, bi discs transitioned from objects of potential religious significance to symbols of power, wealth, and virtue. During the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046–256 BCE), they became one of the "Six Jade Implements" used in rituals and associated with sacrifices to Heaven. Confucian texts, such as the Liji, emphasize the connection between the qualities of jade and desirable human virtues, further elevating the status of bi discs.
3. How did the design of bi discs evolve?
Early bi discs from the Neolithic period were plain and undecorated. By the Zhou dynasty, artisans started incorporating surface decorations like spirals, lattices, and grain patterns. The introduction of lost-wax gold casting and openwork techniques from Central Asia during the Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) led to more intricate bi discs featuring elaborate finials and detailed carvings.
4. What makes this particular bi disc unique?
This large bi disc is exceptional for its size, intricate carving, and beautiful white jade. The presence of openwork decoration with mythical creatures places it among a rare group of bi discs produced for the wealthiest and most powerful individuals during the Han dynasty.
5. What do the decorations on this bi disc represent?
The bi disc is adorned with a hypnotic pattern of “rice grains” on both sides. The openwork section features a central chilong (a mythical dragon-like creature) known for its auspiciousness and association with power and protection. A phoenix and a cloud-climbing mythical beast flank the chilong adding further symbolic weight to the design.
6. How was this type of bi disc used?
Due to their large size and intricate designs, these grand bi discs were likely not worn as pendants. Instead, they served as status symbols, used in rituals, and ultimately buried with their owners in the afterlife.
7. Were these types of bi discs valued in later periods?
Yes, even centuries later, these elaborate Han dynasty bi discs remained highly sought after. Emperors like Yongzheng and Qianlong of the Qing dynasty (1644–1912) collected and admired these relics. They even commissioned reproductions, highlighting the enduring appeal of these ancient objects.
8. Are there similar bi discs in museum collections?
Yes, comparable Han dynasty bi discs with intricate openwork can be found in museum collections worldwide. Notable examples include those in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, the Palace Museum in Beijing, and the British Museum in London.
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