The development of Chinese jade history has gone through three major stages: the laying period, the development period (prosperity period) and the heyday period.
Hongshan Liangzhu culture is the laying period of jade, it has played a great role in the production of Chinese jade in the future, Shang to the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period and the Two Han Dynasties, the production of jade reached a prosperous stage, after the Three Kingdoms and two Jin Dynasties due to frequent wars and slow development, to the Tang and Song Dynasties to recover, the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties are the peak of Chinese jade.
| The laying period of jade is |
The earliest jade ornaments found were in the early Neolithic period, such as the turquoise beads, jade juan, jade, and pipes unearthed from the Xinzheng Pei Ligang culture in Henan and the Hemudu culture in Zhejiang. The appearance of these jade products has a history of 7000 to 8000 years.
The end of primitive society
The material of jade In this period, most of the jade materials belonged to the serpentine stone class, as well as tremolite, yangqi stone, lantian jade and Dali rock.
During this period, in addition to jade shovels, jade axes and other production tools, there were also the wearing of decorative jade and ceremonies, sacrificial jade huang, pendants, etc., and its number of varieties gradually increased, from a single piece of jewelry to multiple pieces, charms, accessories in the three directions of development. This was an inevitable product of the development of the economic life, social customs and ideology of the society at that time.
Large jade dragon, curved length 60 cm, diameter 2.2-2.4 cm.
Neolithic Hongshan culture.
Its jade material is pale green old Xiuyan jade. The body of the dragon is large, curly, inverted "C" shaped, the long snout is slightly upturned, there are two round nostrils, the eyes are olive-shaped convex, the head to the nape of the neck has a long mane back, the end is upturned, and there is a prismatic reticulation of the forehead and jaw. The dragon's body is flattened and round, and there is a drill hole in the back, which can be worn and hung by a tether.
This jade dragon is called a jade pig dragon because its snout is forward and the front end is convex and upturned. This is a representative work of early clan art, which belongs to the Hongshan culture. Its shape is exaggerated, peculiar, both realistic and abstract, although the structure is simple, but full of vitality, simple and rough, may be a tribal totem.
| The development period (boom period) of jade |
A rejuvenated Shang Dynasty jade
The jade used in weapons and ceremonial jade is mostly opaque fine stone, which may be Nanyang jade, and the jade used in knives and Ge weapons is more obvious. There are three common materials: one is the tooth yellow fine worker with chicken bone white; one is the dark brown jade village with flower spots, this jade material appears in large quantities in the Guanghan region of Sichuan, Henan Shi Erlitou Shang Dynasty site also appeared, some are cyan, the markings are light, almost ring-shaped; the third is dark black and slightly transparent jade, mostly made into a very large piece of flake jade knife, the jade piece often leaves a mistake left when the piece is opened. Such jade pieces are not mentioned in archaeological excavation reports, and in terms of the shape and processing technology of the artifacts, they should be early Shang jade.
The jade pendants of the Shang Dynasty were mainly made of Xinjiang Hetian jade, Linyan jade, and Nanyang jade, and Hetian jade was mostly made of green jade, and the jade color was dark and dark, and the fear of rock jade was different from what is seen now.
In the Shang Dynasty, small jade carving knives were common, all of which were carved out of the blade at the tail, and the handle was the shape of various animals, including animal shapes, dragon shapes, fish shapes, cicada shapes, tiger shapes, etc., most of which had perforations to be hung, making it a beautiful and practical jade ornament.
Jade tiger shape carved knife, shang
Height 5 .8cm, width 3 .8cm, thickness 0.4cm.
The vessel is white jade, but has become yellow-brown. The flat, flake-like shape brings to life a jade tiger with a twisted tail. The tiger opens its mouth and uses the process of continuous drilling to make sharp teeth in the mouth. Oval eyes, mushroom-shaped horns. A small ring of small punctures protruding from the chest can be worn for hanging. A small sharp knife is drawn on the side of the tail, and the blade is thinned on both sides to make it have a certain practical function. Although this jade carving knife resembles a tiger, it has mushroom-shaped horns on its head, so some people think that it is a combination of dragon and tiger.
Western Zhou jade that should not be ignored
Western Zhou Dynasty jade, varieties and jade villages are very complex, Yudong and Yudang and other jade with jade similar to Nanyang jade, jade pendant is mostly Hetian jade, and green jade is more jade color in the blue yellow, there are white jade works but the color is dim and dark, and some small jade pieces are made of fine stone.
Jade Dragon Phoenix Pattern Handle Shaped Instrument, Western Zhou,
Length 17.1cm, width 3.7cm, thickness 0.7cm.
The texture of the vessel is green, translucent, with a small amount of soil spots locally, and the body is long flakes. Carved on both sides, the ornamentation is the same. The upper part is composed of two phoenixes symmetrically composed, the tail droops, rolls back into a hook, and two peach-shaped holes are hollowed out between the opposite two beaks and the tail of the body, one up and one down, which can be worn. In the middle is a tall crowned long-tailed phoenix with round eyes, a pointed beak, a single-footed claw on the top of the lower part of the dragon's head, the dragon's body is curved, the word is written, the corner line of the eye is elongated and hooked, and a short mortise is produced at the lower end for cutting.
Jade handle type ware first appeared in the Erlitou culture, shang to the Western Zhou Continued to use, but the Western Zhou dynasty is the most exquisite ornamentation, carving techniques are diverse, the knife technique is powerful, the lines are rounded, and the ornamentation is clear. Its lower end generally has a wide mortise, which can be used as a handle or a docking device, and the exact use needs to be further examined.
Spring and Autumn jade in different styles
The jade of the Spring and Autumn Period is mostly made of Hetian jade, and two kinds of jade are commonly used: one is a jade piece with a fine texture, opaque, not warm, dull color and brighter surface polishing; the other is a jade jade, often milky white, slightly bluish yellow, and dull color.
Jade Dragon Pattern Huang, late Spring and Autumn,
It is 9.3 cm long, 6.3 cm wide at its widest surface and 0.3 cm thick.
This jade is made of Xinjiang Hetian green jade, the surface has a discoloration caused by burial, and the local color is yellowish brown. The body is flattened, fan-shaped, and curved beyond semicircle, which is very rare in the Jade Huang of the Spring and Autumn Period. The two sides of the huang are full of hidden cloud patterns, and the ornamentation is dense, and the animal face shape on the side is partially formed. The two ends of the lynx are in the shape of a lateral dragon's head, and the edges are convex and concave along the shape of the dragon's head.
Huang jade was produced in the Neolithic age and was used as a ceremonial vessel and jade. In the Western Zhou Dynasty, it was popular to use Huang as a miscellaneous pendant, and multiple jade pendants appeared in a set of jade pendants, arranged from top to bottom, and this influence of the customs extended until the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, so the Huang-shaped jade pendants accounted for a large proportion of jade. This piece of jade has only one hole in the upper part, no holes at both ends, and can no longer be hung below, it should be a jade piece suspended at the lowest end of the group of jade.
Warring States jade from the Transmutation Era
Warring States jade materials are complex, but mainly Xinjiang Hetian jade, jade or green and white, or green slightly yellow, or turquoise, rarely see white jade products, there are some jasper products, but the jade color is old, not as fresh as the Qing Dynasty jasper and vegetable color. There are also some jades, and the transparency and warmth are between The Rock Jade and the Hetian Jade. Most Warring States jades have a glass light on the surface, just like the light on the glass surface seems to reflect the light, this glass light is unique and different from the works of later generations.
Jade Gou Cloud Pattern Lamp, Warring States,
Height 12 .8cm, disc diameter 10.2cm, foot diameter 5.9cm.
The lamp is white jade and has an ochre color. A five-petaled flower is carved in the center of the lamp plate as a wick seat. The outer wall of the disc and the upper part of the lamppost are decorated with a cloud pattern, the inner wall and the lower part of the lamppost are decorated with a cloud pattern, and the base is decorated with a persimmon pattern.
During the Warring States period, a new situation of a hundred schools of thought appeared, the social environment and humanistic atmosphere had changed greatly compared with before, the style of jade carving works was also new, and the novel shape and advanced technology became the mainstream of creation, creating a new art genre in the history of jade carving. The seat, column and plate of this instrument are carved from three pieces of jade, which are inlaid with sticky and dense, exquisite ornamentation, rich in layering, showing exquisite carving technology. The styling design is unique, the upper part of the lamppost is treated into a triangular shape, and the lower part is cylindrical and retracted, revealing a wealth of changes in the simple and smooth shape. At present, it is known that this lamp is an orphan product.
Discard the old figure and new Han Dynasty jade
It is mainly Xinjiang jade, and there are works of Lantian jade and canyan jade. Generally speaking, large jade bi is mostly water jade, gray-green and rice, with decorative bi on the outside, mostly using green jade, pendants, sword ornaments, jade, Weng Zhong are mostly white jade, and the green jade and white jade works of the Han Dynasty have an old color.
Jade "Yishou" Gu Wenbi, Han,
Height 13.2cm, width 10.5cm, thickness 0.5cm.
Qing Palace Old Collection.
Jade bi is blue and white with dark yellow spots. Bi round, flat body, convex at the inner and outer edges, the two sides of the same ornamentation, are decorated with granular grain grain. The upper edge of the bi is decorated with the word "Yishou" carved through, and the two sides of the word are carved with a mantis and a dragon respectively. It is retrograde, with rings and horns. The dragon has a wide mouth and long lips, which seems to have evolved from a crocodile, and the dragon has scales, and its limbs and hind bodies resemble animal bodies.
The Qing Palace archives have records about "Yishou" Bi entering the palace, calling it "Gong Bi".
A long period of silence
Jade from the Southern and Northern Dynasties of the Wei and Jin Dynasties
During the Wei and Jin Dynasties and the Southern and Northern Dynasties, wars were frequent and social unrest, so there were very few jade artifacts unearthed from tombs in this period, and the body of jade ornaments was small, and large jade ceremonial vessels and groups of jade pendants were almost not found. Therefore, the ancient books that study jade rarely see the bibliography of jade in this period, and almost form a period of discontinuity. And because of the invasion of ethnic minorities in the Central Plains, many ethnic minorities have brought jade styles, but in terms of materials, they still basically continue the materials of the Han Dynasty.
Green jade suzaku pattern jade pendant,
North and South Dynasties, 9 .6cm long, 3.9 cm wide and 0.3 cm thick.
It is made of pecarpa jade, flaky, shaped like a cloud head, with convex and concave edges. Its surface is smooth and shiny, with a fine yin line pattern, and on one side are suzaku, long plume, mouth beads, three tails, spread wings, and there are ribbon and cross-shaped clouds next to it. On the other side are three flame patterns, which are connected by a long band. There are half moon-shaped holes in the upper end of the jade pendant.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the form of peiyu changed compared with the Han Dynasty. The traditional combination of Huang and Heng has rarely been seen, and such a jade pendant with an upper part is curved, and the same kind of jade pendant has also been seen in archaeological excavations, which is enough to explain its popularity at that time. The yin line pattern on the jade pendant is also different from the jade decoration of the Han and Wei dynasties, emphasizing the layout and dense changes, representing the new trend of the development of jade carving style.
A new wind of jade carving
Sui and Tang dynasty jade
Mainly white jade; processing does not seek glass light, nor does it seek the warmth of jade, which is like the old non-old meaning, in addition, the Tang Dynasty also has a part of green jade products.
Jade floral comb back, Tang,
It is 13 .8cm long, 4 .8cm wide and 0.2 cm thick.
Comb back white jade, flake-like, the same ornamentation on both sides. Each side of the border is raised with a bas-relief pattern, with 3 flowers in the middle, and the flowers are lined with layers of leaves, the leaves are wide and thick, and the edges are decorated with thin yin lines.
This type of comb back is a decoration embedded in the comb. The combs used by women in the Tang Dynasty were very delicate, with a variety of textures, either silver or wood, and the combs were often inlaid with ornaments. At present, most of the jade comb backs found are Tang Dynasty works. The flowers and leaves decorated on the back of this comb are strangely shaped, the flower hearts are as large as buds, and the lateral leaf ends under the flowers are rolled back, which is a manifestation of the influence of Central Asian plastic arts.
| The flourishing period of jade |
A slow process of revival
Song Yuan Ming jade
At present, the number of Jade artifacts of the Song Dynasty that has been handed down has been very large, mainly white jade, green jade two materials, and mostly white jade works, of which there are many high-grade white jade, jade is warm and moist, the color is like "cut", compared with the White Jade used in the Tang Dynasty. There is also a certain number of qingyu works. Liao and gold jade are mainly white jade and green jade; occasionally there are other jade materials. During the Song and Liao dynasties, agate ware appeared in large quantities, and there were many varieties of agate used. Ming Dynasty jade, mainly for green jade, white jade works, the color of green jade dark like the sky of the cloudy sky, the Ming Dynasty also has a small number of jasper works.
Jade lotus heron pattern furnace top,
Song or gold, height 5 cm, bottom diameter 4.3-4.7 cm.
The top of the furnace is white and partially black, the whole is approximately cylindrical, the top is slightly thin, and the carved lotus leaves and reeds are entangled, and the lotus leaves are huge and open. A lotus leaf has a black turtle crawling, spitting smoke clouds, next to it there are lotus flowers, and 5 herons can be seen in the lotus and reed. There is a flat plate at the bottom of the vessel to show the surface of the water, which has holes in it, which can be tied through a rope knot.
Lotus leaves, aquatic weeds, water birds, turtles and other motifs are very popular in Song and gold jade. The Southern Song Dynasty cellars of the Guanghan Dynasty in Sichuan province have unearthed turtle nest lotus leaf ornaments, and beijing Fengtai Jindai Vortex Ancient Tomb has unearthed turtle nest lotus leaf jade ornaments, which should belong to the same theme as this work. In addition, similar furnace roofs decorated with lotus leaves and heron patterns have been unearthed in Yuan Dynasty tombs in the Shanghai area. This shows that the use of such works is widely used and popular for a long time, which has a great influence on the jade of later generations.
White Jade Dragon Button, Yuan,
Length 5.8cm, width 5cm, height 4cm
The jade is square, slightly thick, with a raised Yangwen tuji on the bottom surface, the upper part is a dragon-shaped button, the dragon body is short and resembles a beast, the head has horns, the hair is draped, the limbs are thick, the elbows are decorated with raised flame patterns, the tail of the three qi, the middle one is long, and the upper punch meets the hair on the top of the head.
Pledge is a symbol that is signed and drawn on a document to indicate a personal promise, and later engraved for ease of use. In the Yuan Dynasty, Tao Zongyi's "Records of Cultivation" recorded: "Most of the officials who are in mongolian color cannot hold pens and draws, for example, they are printed with ivory or woodcuts, and Zaifu and close attendants to Yipin are ordered to use jade books to bet on the characters, and they dare not use them unless they are special gifts." According to this, it can be seen that the jade detainees in the Yuan Dynasty were higher than those who used ivory and woodcuts.
Jade Eight Immortals Pattern Holding Pot, Ming,
The height is 27 cm, the caliber is 7.8-6 cm, and the foot diameter is 8.2-6.5 cm.
Qing Palace Old Collection
Pot of green jade.
The body is flattened and rounded, with a thin neck, a broad abdomen, and a circled foot. Cover button carved birthday star riding deer, cover edge engraved a zhou mountain character pattern. On both sides of the vessel are carved eight immortals, flowers and grasses and mountain stones, and the mouth edge and foot are also carved with mountain characters, and there is a skeleton carved beast on the handle. There are two cursive poems on the neck, one of which is: "Jade Axe Thousand Patrol Offerings, Peach Five Colors Uniform." In the past few years, Nobori Tsuru has been counted, and the sea house has been born. "The last signature is "Changchun". The second: "Fang Feast Yao Chi Xi, Xiang Guang Purple Pole Entangled." Xian Weng Qi celebrates, wishing to live for thousands of years. "The last sign is "Eternal Year".
The jug is a very characteristic jade of the Ming Dynasty, and the shape borrows from other craft categories. The patterns are rich and colorful, some of which are influenced by Taoism, and the Eight Immortals motif is one of them, which is a common theme in the crafts of the middle and late Ming Dynasty. The flowers and grasses and mountain stone patterns are clear and free, and the mountain character patterns on the cover edge, mouth edge and foot reflect the aesthetic tendencies of ming dynasty artists. The two cursive poems carved on the neck are smoothly written, making this pot even more precious among the Ming Dynasty jades with few inscriptions.
The jade of the Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the highest stage of court jade after the Song Dynasty. On the one hand, due to the sufficient source of jade, the process technology is in the state of pure fire, and on the other hand, because of the emperor's love and advocacy, it has promoted the re-upsurge of the love of rain. Court jade: Exquisite jade was basically owned by the emperor; the source of the ware was specially crafted, paid tribute by the people, and purchased from the people; and its jade was the high-quality jade and jadeite in the Hetian jade (appeared). Folk jade: The people also love jade, the jade style is consistent with the court jade, and the jade is mainly Xiuyu and Dushan jade.
and Khotanese white jade wrong gold inlaid gem bowl,
Qingqianlong, 4 .8cm high,
Caliber 14.1cm, foot diameter 7cm
The bowl is jade white. The walls are thin, the cross-section is round, obliquely closed by the mouth and abdomen, peach-shaped ears, and petal-shaped ring feet. The outer walls of the abdomen are decorated with flowers and leaves, which are uniquely decorated with gold sheets and the flowers are composed of 108 exquisite rubies. On the inner wall of the abdomen there is a yin wen kaishu Qianlong Emperor imperial poem,
The full text is:
Buttermilk boiled milk, jade bowl quasi-mutton fat.
The imperial hall is praised, and tea is given grace.
Ziyong once had a reputation, but Hong gradually did not know.
Although the other is clear, Fangs is not in the middle.
The giant material is really difficult, and the good craftsman is chasing it.
Read shifu bai, quitting me.
And there are "Qianlong Bing Noon New New Moon", "Royal Title" and "Bede" seal. In the middle of the inner sole of the bowl there are four words of the Book of Qianlong".
The style of the artwork is related to the aesthetic orientation of the maker, and the white jade is staggered with gold and inlaid with red gemstones, which is particularly luxurious and rich. This instrument has a typical Kerdustan style, and reflects the unique enthusiasm and unrestrained character of the western peoples through the external beauty of the utensils. Because of this, the bowl has a unique artistic charm and exquisite imitation skills, so it has always been cherished by the Qianlong Emperor since it was made in the fifty-first year of Qianlong (1786), and even used as a tool for giving tea to the imperial palace during celebrations.