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Re: Puzzling!

Posted By: wingchuntaiji
Posted Date: Feb 03, 2009 (09:30 AM)

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There are some points that I do not agree!

I do not agree that the item is from Shang. I do not study just jade books, I studied art history in many different area. I also had the advantage of reading ancient Chinese, and I had read many old scripts from different sources. The standardized V-shape Qing should be attributed to a much later period. If the item is being too small and it can't make a sound, it may indicate that it was made as a miniature "Toy" which was meant to be a replica to symbolize a real Qing.

I also do not agree with the statement that the jade Qings should have no motif, and the Qings with ornamental motif had to be reproductions. Many famous Qings on record were carved on the surface. Many were of irregular shapes. Those with standardized shapes such as the V's were modeled after the bronze version. They were attributed to later periods such as Han and post Han.

It is more than just the emperors who would wear strands of jades as girdle ornaments. "古之君子必佩玉"(Gu Zhi Jun Zi Bi Pei Yu)-a scholar with high virtue(or a person with noble character)always wore strands of jade girdle ornaments in ancient time. Check this link:

http://www.chicochai.com/jadeforum/read.php?forum=1&id=21655#21666

As for the above item's provenance of being purchased in Beijing around 1907-1908 by a credible and respectful person, that is good news! But, it is still short of providing the exact dating of the actual item. Further evaluation and dating by another expert is necessary! An expert will need vetting from at least another expert to avoid conflict of interest! For instance, all museums need to have commercial appraisers estimate their stocks of collections for insurance purpose, even though the appraisers are clearly less qualified than the curators!

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