Page 12 - Bonhams Hong King May 30 2017 THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF EARLY JADES

THE SONGZHUTANG COLLECTION OF JADE
ZHANG GUANGWEN
PALACE MUSEUM, BEIJING
The master of Songzhutang (松竹堂) is an overseas collector; within
his collection of antiquities, Chinese jades of archaic periods and of the
later Ming/Qing dynasties occupy a large fraction.
Chinese jade collections are scattered all over the world, in public
institutions as well as in private custody. While it is generally known
that both authentic and fake-copies are in present-day circulation, it
can also be said that the owner of Songzhutang is considered to be
rather successful in differentiating them, with his cautious scrutiny. The
collection of Songzhutang, spans the Neolithic to the Qing periods,
including typical representative samples of successive eras through
the passage of time; it should be recognised as a systematic collection
with a direction.
The jades in this collection cover both those extant, having never been
buried underground, and excavated finds. Excavated jades retain
their original palettes, and examples are found in the collections of
international museums and institutions involved with archaeological
excavations. In contrast, jades that have never been buried have gone
through time suffering the effects of handling, dyeing, and exposure
to air. These two aforenamed varieties have different qualities, and
preference is a matter of a collector’s individual taste. Nevertheless,
I can, without qualification, attest to the fact that the Songzhutang
collection dwells evenly on all the diverse groups of jades, hence
manifesting his dedication and effort in adhering to his objective.
This collection does exemplify the significant historical stages in the
evolution of jade production, and specimens well qualified as typical
examples.
Jade production flourished as early as 4,000 years ago, and jade
objects have been found in the burial grounds of many cultures in
various regions of China. These cultures are Hongshan (紅山) and
Xiaoheyan (小河沿) in the northeast; Liangzhu (良渚) in the lower part
of Changjiang (長江); and Shijia He (石家河) in the Jianghan area (江漢)
of Hebei Province (河北省). In addition, are the cultures of Lingjiatan (凌
家灘) of Anhui Province (安徽省) and the Qijia (齊家) in the Northwest
where jade burial finds from these areas are predominantly with high
quality materials and craftsmanship. While their designs are based on
simple geometric patterns, namely, squares, circles, arcs and lines,
the majority of these finds from these periods are commonly seen flat
with scanty decorations. Moreover, most examples are found with low-
relief lapidary, and such characteristics are distinctly represented in this cup inscribed with yong bao chang chun (永寶長春).
collection. In particular, researchers will find representative pieces of
both the Shang and Zhou periods in this collection.
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At present, knowledge from the study of archaeological finds,
especially at Yinxu (殷墟), and from later excavation discoveries has
led to deeper understanding of the process of jade production in the
Xia, Shang and Zhou periods. As a result, most jade collectors are now
initiating their collections from these ages. The significant genres are
ritual, ornamental, animals and weapons predominately, the jade fu (斧)
or dagger-axe. In fact, jade fu (斧) and the weapon group of zhang (璋),
or tablets, already existed in the early Shang period. The jade fu (斧)
was not found in the Neolithic period and seems to have had its own
track of development from the Western Zhou period onward. Indeed,
there is a possibility that this genre was influenced by its bronze
counterpart and developed independently thereafter. Again, the jade
examples from both the Shang and Zhou periods possess specific
features that provoke thought among jade researchers.
Jade legacies from the Eastern Zhou to Han periods have been the
focus of post-Song collectors. It can be said that jades produced in
these times are of fine craftsmanship using stones of either the sparkle
or the snake skin pattern types, and designs were tied closely to the
preferences of their owners. Their basic designs are specifically of
dots and lines laid out in four and two columns on the surface or the
sides, respectively, in complex-compositions filling the space available.
The commonly seen specimens are mainly hanging pendants such
as hengs (珩), the top segment in a set of pendants; huangs (璜) or
pendants; rings (環); dragon-form pendants (龍形佩); and tooth-like
pendants (沖牙). These hanging pendants were worn on the front,
while xi (觽) or knot-untied tools (觽), she (韘) thumb rings (扳指),
swords (玉具劍), seals (印), gangmao (剛卯) or inscribed column-
beads were worn at the side. Added to this series are the diverse
groups of belt buckles (帶鈎), and numerous exquisite examples in
the form of bis (璧), rings (環), and pendants (佩), as well as sword
ornaments (劍飾) are found in this collection.
Starting in the Sui and Tang dynasties, jade ornaments were no longer
confined to use within the Imperial courts. The resulting increased
demand stimulated the excavating of both white and green jade
stones. Subsequently, the production of jade objects flourished, and
soon came designs depicting daily life in nature and the phenomenal
creation of items of decorative purposes. Utensils, scholar’s objects,
hangings, figurines, animals, etc. are of this group. This collection
provides a rare opportunity for today’s collectors to study early jades,
and among this collection includes classic examples such as a jade