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Details
- Other Title
- Bi disc decorated with dragons
- Place where the work was made
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China
- Period
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Kangxi 1662 - 1722
→
Qing dynasty 1644 - 1911
→
China
Yongzheng 1723 - 1735 → Qing dynasty 1644 - 1911 → China - Media category
- Jade
- Materials used
- jade
- Dimensions
- 2.6 x 15.2 cm diam. (irreg.)
- Credit
- Gift of Mrs H. Dresdner 2008
- Location
- Not on display
- Accession number
- 40.2008
- Copyright
- Share
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About
A perforated disc serves as a playground for nine 'chi' dragons, or young or immature beasts, with the seven smaller figures apparently belonging to the same litter. The centre dragon sticks its head and upper body through the perforation. The incision of cloud patterns underneath the dragons adds to the sense of mystery. The 'bi' disc, which was believed to be an offering to heaven during the Bronze Age, was one of the most enduring ritual jades in ancient times with its use spanning the Neolithic period to late imperial China.
Asian Art Department, AGNSW, January 2012
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Places
Where the work was made
China
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Exhibition history
Shown in 3 exhibitions
Dragon (2012), Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 18 Jan 2012–06 May 2012
Conversations through the Asian collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 25 Oct 2014–13 Mar 2016
Auspicious: Motifs in Chinese art, Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney, Sydney, 16 Nov 2020–15 May 2022