Grey Jade Pei in the form of a Pair of Cranes
Song Dynasty (960 – 1279 AD)
Length: 6.8 cm, width: 4.3 cm
White with cyan sheen, the jade ornamentation was smooth textured with grease-like luster. Two connecting cranes formed a circle in general shape, face to face, claws to claws, and they were spreading their wings as if to soar away. On the top there was a little hole for thread to be fastened to clothes. Cranes are seen as an auspicious sign in Taoism, to which Emperor Huizong of the Song was an adherent.
Jade Bi with Nine Chi Design
Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD)
Diameter: 20.4 cm, aperture: 5.8 cm, thickness: 2 cm
The bi is a form of circle jade disc with a round hole in the center, which testifies to the concentration of power and resources in the hands of a small group of elite in ancient China. This bi was dark grey with yellow spots, one side decorated with vortex design, another side carved nine chi designs in relieve. The chi in the middle hole was dragon faced, playing a fire ball with one of its claws, five other small-head chi circling it. Another three were on the edge of the disc, facing one side while hind limbs and tail on the other side. Chi was believed in ancient China a kind of dragon, and the decorative pattern was widely used on jade bi after the Song and Yuan (1271 – 1368 AD) Dynasties.
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