- 2016
A JADE BI-DISC WITH RAISED SPIRALS WARRING STATES PERIOD
Description
Literature
Condition
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
A related bi is illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1994, pl. 15:2; a slightly larger example, in the Harvard University Art Museum, Cambridge, Mass., is published in Hai-wai yi-chen. Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Jade II, Taipei, 1991, pl. 37; and two, in the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, are included in Alfred Salmony, Archaic Chinese Jades from the Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection, Chicago, 1952, pl. LXXIII, nos. 1 and 2. See also several included in the Special Exhibition of Circular Jade, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1995, cat. nos. 63 and 67-75.
Bi-shapes with wide central apertures are known from as early as the Neolithic period, and in Chinese literature the term bi is mentioned in the Zhou li (Rites of Zhou) of the 2nd century, where it symbolises heaven.