Northeast China, Hongshan culture, Neolithic Period, ca. 3800 to 2700 BCE. A large, mottled white and black hard stone disc, its surface carefully sculpted into narrow, curving ridges and shallow, wide valleys. Although it is likely not intentional, it resembles the spiral shell form of an ammonite. Size: 6.9" W x 9.2" H (17.5 cm x 23.4 cm)

This bi disc is a form of "yu." Yu, the Chinese word for jade, is also an idea - of a steadfastness, and reliability, mirrored in the abrasion techniques required to make this intricate work of art. Yu is also not bound by the mineralogical definition of jade - over the millennia that it has been carved in China, people have had varying access to sources of jade and nephrite - but is rather a wider term for hard stone, much of it white, like this piece. From the Neolithic period forward, bi discs were buried with the dead, often broken or placed ceremonially on the body, usually near the stomach or chest, in high status burials. They also seem to have been used in life for rituals. The level of craftsmanship speaks to how highly valued this striking piece of sacred art was.

Provenance: private Ventura County, California, USA collection

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#129134

Repaired from three or four pieces. Small, ancient loss from one side as shown. Light encrustations on surface.