The bi disc is a study in patience. Dark green (bian) jade holds a polish no metal keeps, and the Imperial workshop used that slow shine to signal rank and restraint at once.
A bi disc in dark green (bian) jade was never merely pretty. In a culture that called its rulers’ virtue ‘jade-like’, the stone was a standard as much as a material.
The Imperial taste for dark green (bian) jade favoured objects that could be held and turned, read in the palm as much as on the shelf. A bi disc was a private argument about refinement.
Jade is the slowest possible reply to fashion. This bi disc is Sinocra’s reason for keeping the craft in view, with more from The Palace Museum in the shop.
Object details
| Name | Jasper Kui Pattern Bi (碧玉夔纹璧) |
|---|---|
| Artefact no. | 故00101298 |
| Technique | Dark green (bian) jade (碧玉) |
| Period | Imperial dynasty |
| Collection | The Palace Museum, Beijing |
| Source | Palace Museum Digital Collection (数字文物库) |
Image © The Palace Museum. View the original in the Palace Museum Digital Collection.