Spinach Jade Bi Disc

Catalog note

Catalog note. Material: spinach-green nephrite with the black flecks that give the stone its connoisseurial name; color deep and even. Form: ritual bi disc — circular with central aperture — both faces worked with interlocking grain spirals (guwen) in low relief. The edge is slightly rounded from handling. Dating rationale: Qing archaism frequently revived Neolithic and Han forms in nephrite; without excavation context, this example is catalogued as Qing dynasty on the basis of polish, relief style, and spinach matrix common to Qing workshop production. Earlier bi are often thinner and less uniformly polished. Cultural context: shown here as a mineral object — a circle of stone meant to sit on silk — not as wearable jewelry. The bi’s ancient ritual associations (sky, rank, offering) remain part of the wall text, while exhibition treats it as sculpture. Display: horizontal on a low plinth or silk; avoid hanging mounts that read as costume.