tour 1 of 21
Chinese jade
Chinese Jade
'Soft, smooth and glossy, it appeared
to them like benevolence; fine, compact and strong - like
intelligence'
Attributed to Confucius
(about 551-479 BC)
Jade has
always been the material most highly prized by the Chinese, above
silver and gold. From ancient times, this extremely tough
translucent stone has been worked into ornaments, ceremonial
weapons and ritual objects. Recent archaeological finds in many
parts of China have revealed not only the antiquity of the skill of
jade carving, but also the extraordinary levels of development it
achieved at a very early
date.
Jade was worn by
kings and nobles and after death placed with them in the tomb. As a
result, the material became associated with royalty and high
status. It also came to be regarded as powerful in death,
protecting the body from decay. In later times these magical
properties were perhaps less explicitly recognised, jade being
valued more for its use in exquisite ornaments and vessels, and for
its links with antiquity. In the Ming and Qing periods ancient jade
shapes and decorative patterns were often copied, thereby bringing
the associations of the distant past to the Chinese peoples of
later times.
This tour
illustrates examples showing the development of Chinese jade from
around 5000 BC to the modern period. The subtle variety of colours
and textures of this exotic stone can be seen, as well as the many
different types of carving, ranging from long, smooth Neolithic
blades to later plaques, ornaments, dragons, animal and human
sculpture.