A celadon jade 'dragon and phoenix' disc, bi, Han dynasty | 漢 青玉夔龍鳳鳥蒲紋璧

Acquired in Hong Kong, 1994-2002.

1994至2002年購於香港

The outer ring of the present jade bi disc is carved with the image of dragon and phoenix, and the inner ring is filled with grass mat pattern. Jade bi discs with decoration of this type seem to have been made during the Western Han dynasty. Mostly carved with jade of celadon tone, these Western Han jade discs were found on top of the coffins.

Jade bi discs of similar design have been found from the Han Dynasty tombs of the Guangling State, see han guangling guo yuqi [Jade Artifacts of the Han Dynasty Guangling State], Beijing, 2003, nos.12-19. See also similar examples from the tombs of the King of Nanyue, Western Han Dynasty, where some jade bi discs were found together with silk textiles, suggesting that some of these bi discs were originally swen on silt quilts. Similar examples were also found from the Inner Coffin of the King of Chu, Western Han Dynasty, illustrated in Da hang chu wang: Xuzhou xihan chuwang lingmu wenwu jicui [The Chu King of the Great Han Dynasty: A Collection of Cultural Reclis from the Western Han King of Chu Tomb in Xuzhou], Beijing, 2005, p. 354. See also a group of similar jade bi discs unearthed from the Han dynasty tomb in Mancheng, all placed above and below the jade burial suit within the coffin, see Mancheng han mu fajue baogao (Excavation Report of the Han Tomb in Mancheng), Beijing, 1980, vol.2, pls. 96 and 97. For an example sold at auctions, see a similar jade bi discs sold at Christie’s New York, 17th March 2017, lot 1063. 

青玉質，肉好外圈砣刻陰槽一圈，璧身靠外緣陰刻細綯紋一周，繩紋陰槽之間雙鉤變體龍鳳紋，龍鳳交纏再組成雙身夔龍紋四組，璧身內圈琢刻六角蒲紋，紋飾簡約幹練，拋光凌利。

此類紋飾之玉璧在西漢似乎有定制，即外圈為龍鳳交合組成之雙身夔龍紋，內圈為蒲紋，蒲紋之上或陰勾旋渦紋，內外圈以細綯紋分隔，且多為青玉質，覆於棺槨之上。漢代廣陵國墓葬出土多件此類玉璧，見《漢廣陵國玉器》，北京，2003年，圖版12至19；廣州市西漢南越王墓亦出土多件類似例子，見《南越王墓玉器》，香港，1991年，圖版45及48至50，其上仍有絲織品連綴痕跡，原本應縫綴於絲被之上；徐州獅子山西漢楚王墓楚王內棺亦有出土，見《大漢楚王：徐州西漢楚王鈴木文物輯萃》，北京，2005年，頁354；滿城漢墓更有出土十三件此類玉璧，皆位於內棺及玉衣上下，見《滿城漢墓發掘報告》，北京，1980年，下冊，圖版96及97。以上近例皆出土於西漢高級墓葬，且為墓主近身之物，本件當不出此類。 紐約佳士得售出一例以可比較之，2017年3月17日，編號1063。