Large Eastern Zhou Gold Gilt Nephrite Funeral Vessel Part Three
Magnificent Late Eastern Zhou Nephrite Jade Funeral Vessel
- Old Repairs With New & Original Gold Gilt
Fredericks/McIntire Collection Gold Gilt Large Jade Vase
Vessel Finial Showing Re-Lacquered Gluing At Feet
With the full vessel measuring approximately 17-1/2″ Height X 9-1/2″ Width X 4-1/2 ” Depth, this wonderful late Eastern Zhao Funeral jade must have made, in its original state, quite a presentation. It was made from the same Nephrite Jade boulder in three original pieces – the main vessel, the lid, and the separate finial for the top. We can see in the above picture the re-lacquer gluing of the finial which occurred most likely around one thousand years ago (see part two). In going over the entire re-glued sections of the feet, we find no damage to the nephrite on either the bottoms of the feet or on the top of the jade lid. With this being the case, we know it was originally a lacquer-glued finial; if it were broken off in the initial burial, we would have found damage to both the bottoms of the feet and to the top of the lid, as we have on other vessels in our collection where the entire top was made of one piece and the finial had been broken off and repaired. The fact that it was is not an original lacquer application can be seen under microscopic conditions, as this lacquer matches exactly the rest of the remaining lacquer, which was used to highlight and accentuate the re-cut Lei Wen patterns on the vessel, which had degraded away during the original burial. The gold gilt on the lacquer repaired finial also matches the gold gilt applied to the rest of lacquer at the time of its first re-cutting and re- polishing, as will be better viewed in the coming Macro and Microscopic photographs.
Macro Lens Close-Up Of Finial Repair and Lacquer Glue at 1X
Above Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens at 1X
Microscopic View of Above Lacquer Repair at 35X power
Above Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 35X Microscopic Power
In the above two photographs, we can see all the iron oxidation to the original nephrite jade that has occurred to the vessel since it was originally made well over two thousand years ago. When this vessel was first made, all the red rind was cut away in the original shaping of the vessel, and only through extended burial can this iron oxidation occur to such a point that it totally penetrates entire sections, where it can be seen after the re-cutting and re-polishing. Dyes will not penetrate nephrite to such an extent nor as naturally, even under the conditions they use to dye jadeite, with heavy acid baths and centrifugal force. With the microscopic photograph above, the details of the nephrite degradation since the secondary burial become very evident in the pitting of the jade, and the integrity of the approximately one thousand year-old lacquer glue can be seen. Over all four of the finial’s feet, this lacquer glue shows complete integrity, with no major separations to be found. The old style lacquer glue never ceases to amaze me as to its endurance, and if it has not sustained a major sideways shock, will literally outlast the nephrite, as we have seen original jade repairs using lacquer on items that were chipped during construction over three thousand years ago, and the jade will be degraded away, leaving the original lacquer repair protruding up above the degraded jade. In the microscopic photo above, the remnants of the secondary gold gilding can be easily identified, as they still cling tenuously to the re-buried, further-degraded and later re-polished surface, most likely sometime around the 18Th Century, as will be shown later in this article.
Re-Tooling, Re- polishing & Natural Iron Oxidation With Original & Secondary Degradation on Eastern Zhou Vessel
All Original Degradation To Vessel In Portion Never Re-Cut or Polished
Above Two Photos Taken With Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens at 2X
The above two photographs start to show in extreme clarity what has been discussed in Parts One & Two of this three-part series concerning the variations in nephrite jade, even within the same boulder. After thousands of years of burial, the nephritic structure starts to degrade in such a way as to truly show its inherent characteristics. In the first photograph above, it is quite evident where the moisture, for over two thousand- plus years, has penetrated the Khotan-Hetian nephrite and caused the less structurally-intact portion to undergo a deep iron oxidation, while the portion right next to it did not have as deep an effect. This is because the central lighter band which runs through the stone is a bit more porous than the outer section of the original boulder, which is more tightly fibered (as will be seen in following microscopic photographs showing the final re-polishing). Also of interest in this photo is the remnants of the secondary lacquer and gold gilding still clinging to the re-cut swirl in the viewer’s upper right corner. In the second photograph above, we can see how the vessel appeared when it was first unearthed (or at least something close to it, as it has further degraded since then), in a portion of the central, lighter colored band which was left in its original state, with no re-cutting of the Lei Wen pattern. We can also see a piece of the original gold gilt from when the vessel was first made late in the Eastern Zhou Period, in the viewer’s bottom left corner, still attached in the original tooling groove of the original Lei Wen pattern. While it is a common misbelief that gold remains pure and does not degrade or tarnish, it is just that – a misbelief. Gold will tarnish and degrade depending on burial conditions and the original purity of the gold. While not possessing micro-probe analysis equipment, it would be our highest expectation that the remaining original degraded gold would test to everyone’s satisfaction as indeed being gold, or at minimum a high content gold alloy. It is also extremely noticeable even in this lower power photograph, that the original gold gilt did not lie on a bed of Lacquer but rather directly upon the nephrite itself. Also, in the last photograph we can start to directly see the porous structure of this particular band of lighter-colored jade in the middle of the vessel. While being more porous than the outer, darker green stone, the oxidized lighter nephrite is still fibrous in nature, but not as tightly fibered as the remainder of the vessel.
Original Zhou Period Gold Gilt Not On Lacquer Base
Remnants of Original Gold Gilt From Late Eastern Zhou Period
Above Two Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 35X Microscopic Power
Easily seen in both photographs above are the small flakes of gold still embedded in the original degraded gold gilt. While some of the upper gold flakes on top may be from the second gold gilding from some one thousand years ago, there are definitely pieces of the original gold still sticking into the degraded gold, or gold alloy. These two photos came from an area on top of the side dragon flanges of the lid, and from the one side which is more oxidized, and can be seen in the first photograph at the top of this page. Signs of original degradation to the nephrite appear in the top photograph above as the white ‘calcification’ we have all read about over the years, which is not calcification at all, but is properly termed ‘degradation’. With a sharp eye, some of the secondary sanding marks can be seen running vertically in both photographs. Even these slight vertical grooves are pitted and much more degraded than the third polishing marks to be seen in some of the remaining photos in this article.
Macro Photo Of First Re-Tooling Marks and Lacquer Appliqué
Secondary Tooling to Design With Degraded Secondary Gold Gilt Over Lacquer
Above Two Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using MPE 65mm f/2.8 1-5X Macro Lens at 2x
Again, in the above two photos, we can see the well-degraded nephrite and very clear markings of the re-cutting of the original design. The same type of temper was used in most of the lacquer, as was shown in part two of this series, with the exception that in the grooved-design areas, the temper was more finely ground, as can be seen better in the first photograph above than the one below it. The degradation inside the newer tooling marks is easily discernible in both photographs, with the malachite over the newer lacquer, most likely from impurities in the secondary gilding, showing very clearly in the last photo. In the lower photograph, we can also see the original tooling marks, just to the viewer’s right, at the top of the curl in the design and to the right of (the jutting off) green malachite. On this part of the vessel, the immediate design was re-cut, and the degraded, shallower original tooling marks were left alone. Most times, the re-cutting on old vessels follows this path, as the original tooling marks are often not as deep and defined as the newer ones. When re-cutting a design, we must remember that they were cutting through degraded jade and not a fresh block cut from a boulder. This allows the newer tooling to progress deeper into the the remains of the original designs, but I have yet to find an incised design on an older vessel where they have perfectly re-cut every line. Almost always, they skip a bit in the tighter portions of the designs, or at the ends of grooves where they ‘trail off’.
Degraded Lid Showing Secondary Lacquer & Traces of Gold Gilt
Original In-Situ Degradation On Foot of The Vessel
Above Two Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens
In the above two photographs, we revert back to our regular lens just for a minute, to re-show parts of the late Eastern Zhou jade vessel in its natural degraded state, along with some of the secondary cutting performed so long ago. While the top photo shows, in wonderful detail, the ravages of time on burial jades, it also lends a bit of insight into the reverence the Chinese felt in the past for these original sacred jade pieces from the burials of the Royal Families, and the last truly great innovations in the art of creative design in jade carving. From this point in history, all other jades start to pale in form and power, as the beginnings of ancestor worship started to take the highest precedence in the jade, stone, lacquer and bronze arts. Before this time, stemming from the early Neolithic Period, there had been a continuous progression in form and design for over seven thousand years, which abruptly came to an almost screeching halt at the end of the Eastern Zhou Period, and while some very fine examples of the arts exist from the last two thousand years, in our opinion they are but hollow shells compared to the original pieces from which they were copied. It amazes us that China, while continuing to ‘saber rattle’ concerning the sacred and original treasures of this period and their exquisite and unique genius of form and production, unlike anything else in the world at the time and with technology that was certainly unsurpassed in the working of the world’s toughest stone, still hides their finest treasures from the world in the vaults of their museums, and continues to put precedence on the arts of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, while the finest jade art ever produced in China still languishes in almost total obscurity.
Secondary Gold Gilt Over Lacquer Left After Second Burial Of The Vessel
More Secondary Gold Gilt Over Lacquer In Re-Tooled Design
Above Two Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSI Under 35X Microscopic Power
In the two photographs above, under 35X microscopic power, we find in two different places on the vessel the approximately one thousand year-old re-grooving, the remaining secondary re-gilding over the lacquer, and most importantly to us, the clearest pictures yet of the structure of the degraded nephrite after a minimum of two extended burial periods. The first photo above shows an area where the original jade was most likely a lighter shade of green than the outside edges of the vessel, and being less tightly-fibered inside darker green area, sustained much more iron oxidation. Even after the first re-cutting and re-polishing of the vessel, this iron oxidation runs completely through the sides of the vessel, while the darker and more tightly-fibered sides did not undergo this extreme amount of oxidation, better withstanding the ravages of time and corrosive burial conditions, and in turn remains to this day mostly the same (other than the re-polishing) as it did when the vessel was first made some 2,300-plus years ago. Comparing the two photographs, it is easy to see the difference between the two different portions. In the first photo, we can see it is more oxidized, but more important is the structural integrity of the jade itself; we can easily see the tighter nephritic fibers and denser structure of the nephrite. The second photo was taken where the vessel is much more white in color and shows us a far less typical granular effect in the degraded nephrite. We will all undoubtably get tired of my saying that all nephrite is not created equal, and is truly one of the most misunderstood stones in the world. However, in the bottom photo above, we can still see the fibrous nature inside the granulation that almost takes on a compressed metamorphic presence. It is very possible that this portion of the original nephrite boulder had undergone some extreme pressure and had shattered in the vein from whence it came, and over time, the granular fractures ‘healed’, so to speak.
Third Polishing Of The Green Jade Area, With Close-Ups Below
Above Photo Taken with Canon EOS XSI Using EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM Lens
Image Of Green Portion Of Vessel Under 35X Magnification
Image Of Green Portion Of The Jade After Third Polishing
Above Two Photos Taken with Canon EOS XSi Under 35X Microscopic Power
The two lower photographs above were taken at 35X microscopic power in the green jade area of the first picture. This is to us an extremely important feature, as it clearly shows the vessel was re-polished at least once after the initial and secondary burials. In the two microscopic photographs, we can easily discern the last sanding/polishing marks as pitted grooves running horizontally. It is due to the fact that these polishing grooves have started to degrade and pit that we can closely date the time period of the final re-polishing. If this last re-polishing had been done in the last fifty to one hundred years, we would see a much different surface than what is seen above. The polishing marks would look much cleaner and would have very little of the pitting and wear that we see in the photos. This surface was not acid-etched, nor was it fire-burnt to attain the look it has now, which only comes naturally over time. By the pitting, wear, and accompanying degradation, we would estimate this final re-polishing to have been done somewhere between the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty periods. This would put the final polishing on this magnificent vessel around the 17Th Century period. Since this time, we do not believe the vessel was re-buried, and if it was, it would have been for short periods (as with occupation during WWII) and would have been in a well-sealed environment. This type of wear and pitting is usually caused from hand salts and acids from subsequent touching of the vessel, as would occur when being viewed and revered over time. This wonderful vessel stays on display at our gallery, and any inquiries or serious studies can be arranged by appointment only.
Note: Due to our up-coming Jade show in the first week of February, and the fact that I have a multitude of authentications to finish in the next three weeks, I will be taking a hiatus from this site (other than monitoring) for the next month. We will be having some extremely exciting new articles on intriguing jade and jadeite specimens, and more artifacts starting later in February, so please keep coming back. You can visit us at our Jade Show or go to JadeThroughTheAges.com .
David Fredericks – Yulongwei — Phone: 520-991-2153 (USA)