- Museum number
- 1937,0416.140
- Description
-
Jade collared ring ('bi'), ground,grooved, polished and incised. Inscription dated 1790 by the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795).
- Production date
-
1200BC-1050BC (circa)
-
1790 (date of inscription)
- Dimensions
-
Diameter: 15.50 centimetres
-
Height: 1 centimetres (Lying flat)
- $Inscriptions
-
- Curator's comments
- Rawson 1995:
Inscriptions recur on most of the many hundreds of jades owned by the Qianlong emperor. On large vessels and carvings the inscriptions are almost as impressive as the jades themselves. Sometimes, as in this case, these inscribed jades were themselves ancient. The single jade incorporates a whole range of associations: not only is it ancient, but it has been joined to a long tradition of calligraphy through its inscriptions and seals. In addition, it manifests the emperor's own researches on antiquity. The fact that today we can see that his identification of the piece as a cup-stand is wrong does not detract from either his inscription or the piece itself, but rather gives it new associations for us to contemplate.
- Location
- On display (G33/dc27a/s3)
- Exhibition history
-
Exhibited:
1996-2012, BM, London, G33/Ch/case37, permanent gallery
2009 24 Jan-19 Apr, Bristol City Museum and Art Gallery, 'China: Journey to the East'
2009 2 May-19 Jul, Coventry, The Herbert, 'China: Journey to the East'
2009 1 Aug-1 Dec, Basingstoke, The Willis Museum, 'China: Journey to the East'
2010 29 Jan-9 May, Sunderland, Tyne and Wear Museums, 'China: Journey to the East'
2010 22 May-15 Aug, York, Yorkshire Museums Trust, 'China: Journey to the East'
2010-2011 25 Sep-26 Jun, Manchester Museum, 'China: Journey to the East'
2010-2011, London, BM/BBC, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2014 23 Apr-01 Aug, Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2014-2015 13 Dec-15 Mar, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2015 18 Apr–28 Jun, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Tokyo, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2015 14 Jul–6 Sep, Kyushu National Museum, Dazaifu, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2015-2016 20 Sep-11 Jan, Kobe City Museum, Kobe, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2016 13 Feb-18 Jun, National Museum of Western Australia, Perth, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2016-2017 08 Sep-29 Jan, National Museum of Australia, Canberra, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2018 19 Apr-22 Jul, Musée des Beaux-Arts, Valenciennes, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects'
2021 14 Dec-, London, BM, G33
- Acquisition date
- 1937
- Department
- Asia
- Registration number
- 1937,0416.140
