An archaic green jade ceremonial blade (Gui), Shang dynasty | 商 玉圭

Yamanaka & Co., Inc., New York, 1943.

Collection of Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954).

Springfield Museums, Springfield (accession no. 62.Mi.07).

Christie's New York, 22nd March 2013, lot 1123.

山中商會，紐約，1943年

Raymond A. Bidwell (1876-1954) 收藏

斯普菲博物館，斯普菲 (館藏編號62.Mi.07)

紐約佳士得2013年3月22日，編號1123

The Raymond A. Bidwell Collection of Chinese Bronzes and Ceramics, Museum of Fine Arts, Springfield, 1965, pp 30-31.

《The Raymond A. Bidwell Collection of Chinese Bronzes and Ceramics》，斯普菲博物館，斯普菲，1965年，頁30至31

Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art Assembled by Yamanaka & Company, Inc., Yamanaka & Co., Inc., New York, 1943, cat. no. 246.

《Collection of Chinese and Other Far Eastern Art Assembled by Yamanaka & Company, Inc.》，山中商會，紐約，1943年，編號246

The Shang dynasty placed a great emphasis on the administration of power through ritual rites and ceremonies. As part of this elaborate system, various ritual jades, including ceremonial jade blades or tablets, gui, emerged alongside the traditional bi and cong, assuming significance in both life and afterlife contexts. Jade gui as such were specifically used by kings, dukes, and princes during ceremonial occasions. Numerous jade ritual wares, including a wide range of gui tablets, were unearthed from the Yin ruins at Anyang. Notably, Fuhao's tomb (c. 1200 B.C.) contained a vast collection of jade implements, showcasing the diversity of these objects.

Compare a closely related example, in the collection of the British Museum, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, pl. 10.16; another sold in Christie's New York, 22nd Mar 2013, lot 1123.