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Lot Essay
A Confucian text traditionally attributed to the Western Han period, the Zhou li 周禮 (Rites of Zhou), records the six ritual jades (liuyu 六玉): the bi 璧, cong 琮, gui 圭, zhang 璋, hu 琥, and huang 璜. Among these, the bi and cong stood out in importance and longevity. The bi—a flat, circular disk with a central aperture—was said to symbolize the sun and was used in rituals honoring it. In contrast, the cong, with its square outer profile and cylindrical central tunnel, was associated with the earth and used in corresponding rites.
However, the precise function and symbolism of these early jade forms remain elusive. Both bi and cong originated in Neolithic China, over two millennia before the compilation of the Zhou li, and it is therefore likely that the Zhou li reflects later ritual theory or evolving cosmological interpretations, rather than the original significance of these forms. The cultural prominence of the bi endured into the historical period. Its significance is underscored in the idiom wanbi guizhao 完璧歸趙 (“returning the jade disk intact to Zhao”), derived from a famous episode during the Warring States period. When the state of Qin sought to obtain the precious He shi bi (和氏璧) from Zhao under false pretenses, the Zhao emissary Lin Xiangru outwitted the Qin ruler and returned the jade safely to his state. This episode immortalized the bi as a symbol of integrity, loyalty, and rightful return.
The earliest bi discs, dating to the Neolithic period, were often large, thick, and carved from a range of hardstones. These early examples are typically undecorated, with slightly irregular outlines and off-center perforations, which were often worked from both sides, leaving a subtle ridge at the junction of the two drilled hollows. By the Shang dynasty, bi discs assumed a more standardized form, with precisely centered perforations, thinner profiles, and a preference for fine-grained nephrite in shades of sea-green or bluish-green. Decorative elaboration emerged later, particularly during the Eastern Zhou period, when discs were finely worked with low-relief patterns. These typically included a subtly raised border at both the outer edge and around the perforation, and the surface was ornamented with evenly spaced spiral or comma-shaped motifs in shallow relief, known as guwen or guliwen (“grain patterns”). These relief patterns were frequently outlined by intaglio lines, adding contrast and refinement to the design. An exemplary late Zhou bi disc with such ornamentation is in the Harvard Art Museums’ Winthrop Collection (accession no. 1943.50.649) and illustrated by Max Loehr in Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 1975, pp. 266-7, no. 393, where Loehr discusses guwen patterns, pp. 21-8.
The present bi from the Songzhutang Collection is exceptional in both scale and craftsmanship. The disc is carved in crisp relief with 1,652 evenly spaced comma motif bosses. Each raised boss is modeled with remarkable dimensionality and fullness, requiring extraordinary technical skill to execute with such consistency across a large surface. This example is likely the largest known bi disc of this type, carved with grain pattern, and stands as a masterpiece of Eastern Zhou jade artistry. Comparable examples of slightly smaller size include a finely carved bi in the Harvard Art Museums, illustrated by Jenny F. So in Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 2019, pp. 282 and 285, no. 39B, as well as two bi disks published in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, Vol. 3, Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, Beijing, 2011, pp. 104–5, pls. 99–100.
However, the precise function and symbolism of these early jade forms remain elusive. Both bi and cong originated in Neolithic China, over two millennia before the compilation of the Zhou li, and it is therefore likely that the Zhou li reflects later ritual theory or evolving cosmological interpretations, rather than the original significance of these forms. The cultural prominence of the bi endured into the historical period. Its significance is underscored in the idiom wanbi guizhao 完璧歸趙 (“returning the jade disk intact to Zhao”), derived from a famous episode during the Warring States period. When the state of Qin sought to obtain the precious He shi bi (和氏璧) from Zhao under false pretenses, the Zhao emissary Lin Xiangru outwitted the Qin ruler and returned the jade safely to his state. This episode immortalized the bi as a symbol of integrity, loyalty, and rightful return.
The earliest bi discs, dating to the Neolithic period, were often large, thick, and carved from a range of hardstones. These early examples are typically undecorated, with slightly irregular outlines and off-center perforations, which were often worked from both sides, leaving a subtle ridge at the junction of the two drilled hollows. By the Shang dynasty, bi discs assumed a more standardized form, with precisely centered perforations, thinner profiles, and a preference for fine-grained nephrite in shades of sea-green or bluish-green. Decorative elaboration emerged later, particularly during the Eastern Zhou period, when discs were finely worked with low-relief patterns. These typically included a subtly raised border at both the outer edge and around the perforation, and the surface was ornamented with evenly spaced spiral or comma-shaped motifs in shallow relief, known as guwen or guliwen (“grain patterns”). These relief patterns were frequently outlined by intaglio lines, adding contrast and refinement to the design. An exemplary late Zhou bi disc with such ornamentation is in the Harvard Art Museums’ Winthrop Collection (accession no. 1943.50.649) and illustrated by Max Loehr in Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 1975, pp. 266-7, no. 393, where Loehr discusses guwen patterns, pp. 21-8.
The present bi from the Songzhutang Collection is exceptional in both scale and craftsmanship. The disc is carved in crisp relief with 1,652 evenly spaced comma motif bosses. Each raised boss is modeled with remarkable dimensionality and fullness, requiring extraordinary technical skill to execute with such consistency across a large surface. This example is likely the largest known bi disc of this type, carved with grain pattern, and stands as a masterpiece of Eastern Zhou jade artistry. Comparable examples of slightly smaller size include a finely carved bi in the Harvard Art Museums, illustrated by Jenny F. So in Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 2019, pp. 282 and 285, no. 39B, as well as two bi disks published in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, Vol. 3, Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period, Beijing, 2011, pp. 104–5, pls. 99–100.