Neolithic Chicken-Bone White Jade Plain Bi Disc, circa 7500–2900 BCE

拍品描述

Dimensions: Diameter 7.8 cm (3.07 in); Neolithic period, approximately 75th–29th century BCE Weight: 43 g (approx. 1.52 oz)Condition & Provenance: The disc is preserved intact overall, with no apparent major chips, losses, or restoration. The jade displays a characteristic chicken-bone-white appearance resulting from extensive surface alteration, together with a dense network of fine weathering lines and naturally mottled brown, tan, and gray accretions. These tonal variations extend across the surface and into the recessed areas, producing a richly layered, time-softened appearance. The central aperture remains clearly defined and smoothly finished, with visible drilling and working traces along the interior wall. The outer edge retains a softly rounded profile and subdued polish consistent with the overall character of the piece. Provenance: Private Collection, New Jersey, USA. Acquired from an Asian art gallery in London in 1995 and subsequently retained within the same family collection for nearly three decades; accompanied by original collection documentation.Description: This elegantly understated bi disc is carved from chicken-bone-white jade and belongs to one of the most enduring forms in the vocabulary of prehistoric Chinese jade. Its visual strength comes not from ornament but from proportion, material, and the quiet relationship between the solid circular body and the open space at its center. Carved from a single piece of jade, the disc presents a broadly circular profile that retains subtle irregularities rather than the mechanical precision of a perfectly geometric circle. The outer perimeter is substantial yet gently rounded, with every transition carefully softened through grinding and polishing. At the center is a circular aperture worked through the body of the stone. The interior wall is comparatively smooth and preserves visible traces associated with the drilling and finishing process. The opening is deliberately restrained in relation to the broad surrounding jade surface, creating a strong visual balance between mass and void. The disc is entirely undecorated. This absence of ornament is fundamental to its character: rather than relying on incised motifs or relief carving, the object draws attention to the natural presence of the material, the purity of the circular form, and the workmanship required to shape and polish a deceptively simple object. Across the pale ivory-to-bone-white ground is an extensive network of fine, interconnected weathering lines accompanied by irregular brown, tan, and dark gray accretions. These variations are especially visible around the central aperture and along portions of the perimeter, giving the otherwise minimalist composition considerable surface depth. The softly polished finish remains muted rather than glossy, allowing the aged texture of the jade to become an integral part of the object's visual identity. Bi discs occupy a central position in the history of Chinese ritual jade. Their circular geometry became closely associated with concepts of heaven, cosmological order, ritual communication, status, and spiritual protection, while the enduring simplicity of the form allowed it to remain meaningful across successive prehistoric and historical traditions. At 7.8 cm in diameter, this example is intimate enough to have been handled or suspended yet possesses the visual authority traditionally associated with ritual jade. Its restrained geometry, broad unadorned surfaces, softly rounded perimeter, central perforation, and extensively altered chicken-bone-white surface combine to create an object of remarkable simplicity and presence. It is precisely this economy of form—the reduction of the object to circle, opening, material, and surface—that gives the piece its distinctive sculptural character and makes the plain bi disc one of the most recognizable achievements of early Chinese jade design.

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