A RARE YELLOW JADE DISK, BI, HAN DYNASTY
This lot is from a single owner collection and is therefore offered without reserve

Published: Jean-Paul Desroches (ed.) et al, The Beginning of the World. Dragons, Phoenix and Other Chimera, Fondation Baur, Geneva, 2020, p. 213, no. 141.

Exhibited: 
1. Fondation Baur, The Beginning of the World – According to the Chinese. Dragons, Phoenix and Other Chimera, Geneva, 11 November 2020-23 May 2021.
2. Musée Départemental des Arts Asiatiques, The Beginning of the World – According to the Chinese. Dragons, Phoenix and Other Chimera, Nice, Summer 2021.

China, 202 BC-220 AD. Each side finely carved in low relief with a dense pattern of comma spirals neatly arranged between the raised inner and outer borders. The semi-translucent stone of a greenish-yellow tone with extensive opaque calcification, patches of creamy-russet, and dark brownish-black streaky inclusions.

Provenance: The Collection of Sam and Myrna Myers, Paris, France. Acquired between circa 1965-2012.
Condition: Very good condition with minor wear, signs of prolonged burial and traces of weathering with few small associated losses, minuscule nibbling, the stone with natural fissures, some of which may have developed into small hairline cracks.

Weight: 446 g
Dimensions: Diameter 20.1 cm

During the late Warring States and Han periods, jade bi evolved from objects primarily associated with burial contexts to decorative elements incorporated into luxury items, architectural fittings, and ceremonial regalia. While their earlier use suggests cosmological significance—possibly linked to ritual practices—the exact nature of their function remains uncertain. In the Han period, bi continued to appear in tombs and may have retained ritual or symbolic roles, even as their formal qualities became increasingly refined and their decorative use more widespread. The enduring cultural importance of the bi is reflected in the character for jade, 玉 (yù), and its visual echo in the character for king, 王 (wáng), reinforcing the association between jade, power, and transcendence.

Literature comparison:
Compare a closely related jade bi disk, 15.2 cm diameter, excavated from the Western Han-period tomb of the Nanyue King Zhao Mo (r. 137 BC-122 BC), illustrated by Peter Y. K. Lam (ed.), Jades from the Tomb of the King of Nanyue, p. 239, pl. 26, no. D50-10. Zhao Mo’s tomb was discovered in downtown Guangzhou in 1983, and the Museum of the Western Han Dynasty Mausoleum of the Nanyue King housing the tomb opened in 1988.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 27 September 2017, lot 37
Price: USD 16,250 or approx. EUR 18,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: An archaistic celadon and brown jade bi disc, Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving with similar comma-spirals, stone with similar dark brownish-black streaky inclusions, and size (19.4 cm).

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 November 2022, lot 2718
Price: HKD 529,200 or approx. EUR 61,000 (for two) converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A jade disc, bi and a jade ring, huan, Western Han dynasty
Expert remark: Compare the closely related form, manner of carving, and stone. Note the different size (10 cm) and that the lot further comprises a similar huan ring (10.6 cm).