Artwork Page for Scepter (Gui) with Miscellaneous Poems by Tao Qian (365–427 CE)

Details / Information for Scepter (Gui) with Miscellaneous Poems by Tao Qian (365–427 CE)

Scepter (Gui) with Miscellaneous Poems by Tao Qian (365–427 CE)

1122 or later

China, Possibly Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong period

(1736-1795)
Medium
translucent white jade
Measurements
Overall: 2.8 x 0.3 cm (1 1/8 x 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mrs. John Lyon Collyer in memory of her mother, Mrs. G. M. G. Forman 1960.278
Public Domain
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Location
240B Chinese Decorative Arts
Print

Description

This piece derives its shape from the ancient jade scepter known as gui. On both sides of the jade surfaces are the inscribed texts "Miscellaneous Five-Character Poems by the Jin Poet Tao Qian" engraved in minuscule characters, with a reference indicating that the piece was made by the jade workshop of the Xiuneisi Office in 1122 of the Xuanhe reign. This Northern Song attribution is, nevertheless, questionable.
A jade scepter, a long ceremonial blade, features a flat, translucent white body. A rectangular base transitions into a section defined by four tooth-like notches flanking a central circular hole. Tiny, dense rows of engraved characters cover the surface toward an angled, blade-like tip. The semi-opaque stone exhibits a clouded texture, its inscriptions stretching across the blade from the scepter's center to its tapered edge.

Scepter (Gui) with Miscellaneous Poems by Tao Qian (365–427 CE)

1122 or later

China, Possibly Qing dynasty (1644-1911), Qianlong period (1736-1795)

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