Incredibly Oxidized Warring States Period Bi – 100% In-Situ
A Wonderful 100 % In-Situ Warring States Period (475 – 221 BCE) Bi
Dimensions: 44mm Diameter X 8mm Depth
This masterfully carved Bi is one of the earliest Bis we have ever seen seen with a true Royal Dragon and Feng Huang (Phoenix)design, carved as its frontal motif, the Most Sacred Dragon of the East and the Feng Huang (Red Bird of the South). It is our belief that while Dragons and the Feng Huang appeared much earlier in Neolithic period designs, and down through history, it was truly around the latter part of the Eastern Zhou Period that the dual design was used almost exclusively as the primary symbol designating Royalty, and has carried through until this very day. This Bi has been in our personal collection for years, and was shown at The “Jade Art Now Show” in Tucson, Arizona in 2007, 2008 and 2009. I personally wore this Bi for over two years; as the colors of the Bi, along with the original intent of the “Master” who designed it, and the Master Carver and polisher who created it, it was, to me, a bit of absolute perfection in a pendant-sized piece. With the worn, spiraling “s” patterns on the back, or what the Chinese often call the “tadpole” pattern, this Bi was almost certainly used in a Spring Ritual concerning the coming of rain, and therefore the beginning of the planting season.
The most incredible part of this magnificent Bi is the fact that originally, it was two distinct shades of green nephrite jade, with varying amounts of iron being the ‘contaminant’ that caused the differing shades of green at the time the stone was first formed, miles below the earth’s surface . The currently darker red half of the Bi would have previously been a deep green, with the higher iron content, while the lighter side would have originally been more of a “celadon” colored green, having less iron. It would have been the “Master” who chose this particular stone, most likely to represent what we think of now as the Yin/Yang of life, but which has been known more universally as the duality of life symbol, embraced and used by cultures all over the globe. The small, but at one time perfectly-carved ‘tadpoles’ are difficult to discern on the back side of this Bi in the picture above, because of the erosion that has taken place during the course of its ‘life’. The peculiar effect of the dual oxidations and depths to which they degraded would most certainly be the result of an extreme amount of water and oxygen passing nearly continuously over the Bi from almost the time of its original burial. The red, oxidized coloring is well known in Warring States Burial Jades where water has either seeped into the tomb gradually, or flooded in because of a catastrophic event such as the collapse of a beam structure in the old tombs (which could allow a sealed beam roof to cave in and water to enter and fill the tomb, as in the case of the Marquis Yi’s Tomb) . However, this oxidation always seems to leave a slighter depth of approximately 3-4mm, even when the jades are degraded through in their softer parts to a much deeper level; indeed even all through a piece as wide as 10mm. The difference in the case of this Bi , with a total depth of 8mm, is that it is totally permeated in the darker reddish areas and has no accompanying degradation by soil penetration to the Bi, as it certainly would in a regular funeral piece. This Bi has never been re-tooled or re-cut in any way, and the surface remains as it was originally found before we acquired it. Even the approximate 1mm rim on the back-side edge of this masterfully created Bi is still fully intact in places. All degradation to the exterior is natural, and was not acid or alkali-etched, nor was it burnt with a torch. The only cause for its current condition that we could ever find was due to the presumed fact that while it had been buried in antiquity along with other objects, it must have been alongside a river, which was not an uncommon practice of the era. Over the ages, the river most likely changed and followed another course which took it over the burial grounds, where this Bi lay. With a static submersion of water, as in the case of a submerged tomb, we would expect to find the water necessary to degrade the iron inside the green nephrite to a red oxidized state, but along with this water would also come silt, and silt always penetrates the tightly fibered, but porous nephrite as the surface degrades, leaving the degraded portions with a grey silt penetration. In the case with this Bi, it seems far more likely that it was this running water, which would carry the necessary oxygen for the oxidation process to occur, and still keep the silt from building up and penetrating deeply into the nephrite, that created the circumstances to bring about this effect, which we have examined for years under microscopic conditions.
All Pictures Above Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens
This photograph shows us a marvelous picture of how the darker red half looks from a side view. The depth of the darker red degraded and iron-oxidized section appears to be smooth, and while a bit worn and chipped on the edges, it still looks to be in fine condition for an artifact that has undergone some extreme conditions for millennia. This is also a great photograph to show the Dragon and Feng Huang were ‘air symbols’, and not ‘water symbols’, as we do not see the familiar undulating patterns through the water in this side view, but rather a steady continuity of raised design through masterful relief carving. Also, some portions of the original darker green nephrite are still barely visible in the lower right section seen in the photograph. While this Bi looks to the naked eye to be a wonderful solid nephrite structure, we will see in the following close-ups a type of “Khotan” nephrite that is rarely discussed, as it is commonly assumed that all nephrite from this area is of the same quality and structure.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X
In this photograph, we see a large portion of the Feng Huang (Red Bird’s head seen in center of photo) side of the Bi, which is the darker of the two sides. The Dragon side of the Bi was finished from the lighter celadon-colored nephrite. While this wonderful specimen still appears to be a rather solid piece of nephrite, with the usual degradation and losses associated with a long-term burial object, the lack of deep ‘calcification’ (degradation) that should accompany a burial item of approximately 2,300 years can be easily discerned. The red oxidation of the portions of darker green nephrite shows up very clearly, and in the lower right corner of the photograph, one can start to see the minute actinolite fibers that are associated with this particular variation of Khotan jade. While there exist some “flowing river” structural sections of nephrite, much like what is seen in Kutcho and Polar Jades from British Columbia, and are found in many of the Khotan nephrites, this particular stone is mainly comprised of a very short crystalline structure, which gives it an almost ‘ice crystal’ effect when degraded, and viewed under magnification. This will become more evident in pictures to follow as the magnification increases. What is of particular note here is the fact that while the degradation has definitely taken place, there lacks the deep soil penetration that accompanies other true burial artifacts, and we firmly believe it is because the Bi was constantly being washed and abraded during most of its life by flowing water. This would account for the abundant supply of water, oxygen, and abrasive materials needed to produce this exact effect of oxidation and degradation we see on this particular artifact.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 1X
This photograph shows the reverse side of the Warring States Period Bi and the familiar “S”, “comma”, or ‘tadpole’ patterns, as known by the Chinese. Note the rounded edges on all the tadpole patterns, as would be expected in a 100% in-situ Bi of this period. When one finds sharper edges on the tadpole patterns, it is usually from replication, as in the case of a modern reproduction, or often times this occurs if a true artifact has been re-cut and re- polished. The main challenge, then, is to find the place where the person who re-cut and re-polished the item missed a portion, and then also find the original tooling marks or degradation underneath the new markings. In this photo it is again extremely clear the lack of deep soil penetration, the consistent wear found on a true artifact, and the same crystalline structure to the Khotan nephrite as seen in the previous photograph.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi using Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Lens at 3X
This photo taken at 3X through our Macro lens shows very well how consummate a nephrite carver this Master was over 2,000 years ago. Using only the most rudimentary treadle-wheel drilling technology and hand-made tools, the lines and flow of this exquisite piece were so precisely executed as to rival the finest of modern day artists working with exacting technology and the finest of diamond tools. Just below the swirling portion of the lower section of the end of the Dragon’s bifurcated tail, we can see the crystalline degradation to the Dragon’s clawed toes, as well as in the surrounding areas. This is right at the transition zone where the dark green nephrite met the more celadon-colored nephrite, and it contributes to the stunning overall effect. The lack of soil deposits and the fact that all discoloration is coming from the degradation and oxidation of the iron within, is becoming more and more apparent.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power
This photograph taken at 35X power with the microscope shows the face of Feng Huang (Phoenix) and the almost complete loss of detail experienced at high magnification. We can now see extremely clearly the actinolite fibers and their small structures on this type of nephrite jade from Khotan, or the Black or White Jade River region. Only in this type of Khotan nephrite jade do we see these miniature actinolite fibers over almost the entire surface. Soon we will be doing an article on the four different basic types of Khotan nephritic structures, and the variations within them at the microscopic level. Again, the lack of soil penetration from long term burial is clearly seen, and demonstrates why we believe this artifact to be river worn to such a degree. The fuzzy area in the middle of the picture comes from the depth of field when using the microscope along with the camera. If we were to bring into clear focus the top (fuzzy) portion of the Feng Huang’s head, the remainder of the picture would then become fuzzy.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power
This photograph takes us inside one of the design holes of the section that was created in the celadon-colored half of the nephrite jade Dragon and Feng Huang Bi. It shows the traces of one of the three remaining original drill marks on the right side of the bottom of the hole. With the extreme weathering from constant moving water and sediment, it is practically a miracle that any such traces remain after so long a period of time, and further attests to the toughness of nephrite jade and its association with being the true “Stone of Heaven”. This wonderful specimen was left entirely untouched and un-oiled as even my old body oils were removed prior to photographing, with a quick scrub with tub & tile cleaner and a toothbrush. Every picture shown has been under “honest” conditions, and the colors shown have been as true as could be humanly portrayed, without alteration or augmentation of any kind.
Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using 35X Microscopic Power
This final photograph shows the inside of the very small hole in this Bi. In proportion to what is usually expected in a Bi of this period, this Bi may have had a specific purpose of which we are unaware, or is currently lost in history. It might have been originally a piece of jewelry, or may have been used as a travel piece for worship while away from one’s home. Whatever its exact purpose was, it is clear that the Master who created this phenomenally well-proportioned Bi, and gave it the original polish with such intrinsic skill, intentionally drilled the hole entirely from one side only, as can be detected from the two remaining slight imperfections that are left to us to examine over 2,000 years later. One of these slight “dips” can be seen in the photo above at the midway section of the photograph. On the front side of the Bi, the hole contours in a slightly convex manner by intention. On the back of this Bi, the artist left himself a rounded little circle of a convex nature to complete his design. All in all, it is one very impressive piece of Warring States Genius, and has been an extreme pleasure to own and to wear.
David Fredericks – Yulongwei — Phone: 520-991-2153 (USA)
Fantastic article on the Warring States Period Bi that takes you on a journey and back to the microscopic world on the surface of this fine in situ bi. Thank you for bringing us to a place where no one has gone before!
Fred Gumbart
Arizona Galleries
Sweet photos and even sweeter piece. Your articles are getting better and better.