The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 31, 2026

A flat, circular jade disc features a round hole centered in the middle. Its colors move from warm tan and muted green to irregular, dark brown patches. Fine, vein-like cracks mark the stone, including a large brown section at the bottom edge and small spots scattered across the right. The material is smooth with variations in opacity, shifting from light tan on the upper left to deep, earthy brown at the bottom.

Perforated Disc (Pi)

3000–2000 BCE

China, Neolithic period

(3000s–2000s BCE)
jade
Diameter: 21.2 cm (8 3/8 in.); Inner diameter: 5.7 cm (2 1/4 in.)
Gift of the John Huntington Art and Polytechnic Trust 1915.628
Location: Not on view
  • ?–1915
    (Dr. John C. Ferguson 福開森 [1866–1945], sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1915–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Catalogue of the Inaugural Exhibition June 6-September 20, 1916. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1916. cat. no. 125 archive.org
    Palmedo, Philip F. Deep Affinities: Art and Science. New York; London: Abbeville Press Publishers, 2020. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 102, fig. 5.18
  • {{cite web|title=Perforated Disc (Pi)|url=false|author=|year=3000–2000 BCE|access-date=31 May 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1915.628