Four jade earrings, jue, a jade disc, bi, and a jade ring, huan, Late Western Zhou dynasty - Eastern Zhou dynasty | 西周晚期至東周 龍紋玉玦、玉璧及絞絲玉環一組八件

Ku Ngar Antique Limited, Hong Kong, 22nd September 2000.

古雅閣，香港，2000年9月22日

The two pairs of ‘dragon’ jue rings are of the style of the late Westen Zhou dynasty - early Spring and Autumn period. The other pair of jue rings decorated with the stylised dragon pattern is close to the style of mid - late Spring and Autumn period. The small ‘dragon’ bi disk also presents the style of the period from late Westen Zhou dynasty to early Spring and Autumn period. Jade huan rings of the design of the present one were found throughout the Eastern Zhou dynasty.

Compare the two pairs of ‘dragon’ jue rings with a few pairs of rings with similar patterns, tone, and sizes, excavated from a Qin tomb dated to the early Spring and Autumn period in the Long county, Shaanxi province, illustrated in Liu Yunhui ed., Shaanxi Chutu Dongzhou Yuqi [Eastern Zhou Dynasty Jades Unearthed in Shaanxi], Beijing, 2006, pp. 41-42. Compare the jade bi disc in the present lot with a related Western Zhou-dynasty jade disc with patterns of dragon, now in the Shaanxi History Museum, published in ibid., p. 67, pl. FN4. For a comparable example of the jade huan ring, see one unearthed in Baoji and dated to late Spring and Autumn period, published in ibid., p. 150, pl. BY34. Compare the pair of jue rings with the stylised dragon design to a mid Spring and Autumn-period jue ring in the Henan Antique Archaeology Institute, illustrated in Yang Boda ed., Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete collection of Chinese jades], Shijiazhuang, 2005, vol. 3, pl. 24.

龍紋玉玦三對，其中兩對龍紋有西周晚期至春秋早期風格，一對變體龍紋之蟠虺玉玦則近春秋中晚期，陰刻龍紋玉珮則有西周晚期至春秋早期風格，絞絲玉環則整個東周時段皆有所出。 

兩對龍紋玉玦可參考陝西省隴縣春秋早期秦墓出土之數對，紋飾、玉質、尺寸皆似，見劉雲輝編，《陝西出土東周玉器》，北京，2006年，頁41至42。同書著錄一件西周玉璧，淺刻龍紋，與本件類似，藏於陝西省歷史博物館，見前書，頁67，圖版FN4。寶雞市出土一件春秋晚期玉環可比較之，見前書，頁150，編號BY34。蟠虺紋玉玦可參考河南省文物研究所藏一件春秋中期玉玦，見楊伯達編，《中國玉器全集》，石家莊，2005年，卷3，圖版24。