A JADE DISC
A JADE DISC
Jade
China, Early Bronze Age, Qijia culture (2200-1600 BC)
This jade is published in Filippo Salviati 4000 YEARS OF CHINESE ARCHAIC JADES Edition Zacke, Vienna 2017, no. 118
This attractive disc is carved from a pale green, semi-translucent jade with large brown and reddish areas: part of the body is also covered by dark speckles. The chalky-white patches visible along the rim are portions of the jade which have been heavily modified while the disc was buried in the tomb: these alterations occur as a reaction to the acidity of the soil or if the jades were put in contact with the corpse. As it is often the case with jades from North-west China, the central hole has been drilled from one side only and the core was probably chopped off, as suggested by the slightly rugged look of the rim bordering the hole.
Dimensions: DIAMETER 9 CM
Condition: Undamaged
Provenance: Old Austrian-Hungarian private collection