Page 24 - Yangdetang Coollection of Jades November 2017 HK
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Fig. 18 Warring States Fig.19 Early Mid-Western Han period
Jade hulong The surface is inscribed in ink with the characters ‘ta yu hu’ Jade bi-disc decorated with twin-bodied hulong pattern,
(this jade dragon), excavated from the tombs of Zhongshan State excavated from the tomb of Liu Sheng in Mancheng
插圖 18 戰國 玉琥龍 器表墨書“它玉虎” 中山王國墓葬群出土 插圖 19 西漢早中期 雙身合首琥龍紋璧 滿城劉勝墓出土
東「物精崇拜」及深厚的「崇璧文化」再度復興。湖北、湖南、 At some unknown location a jade mine of grass-green-
安徽是楚文化的核心地帶，不詳何處被發現草綠色的閃玉玉 coloured nephrite was uncovered, and the Chu people used it
礦，楚人用之製作體量甚大的穀紋璧、穀紋璜，以及看似龍卻 to make sizeable grain-patterned bi discs, grain-patterned huang
可能意涵「虎」的玉佩（插圖 18），筆者建議稱之為「琥龍」。 pendants, as well as a type of pendant seemingly in dragon
戰國晚末期更出現將琥龍圍繞玉璧的「雙身合首琥龍紋璧」。 form, but probably actually denoting a tiger (fig. 18), which
漢朝皇室源自楚地，從西漢早中期諸侯王陵的葬式可知，「雙 I propose calling a hulong (jade tiger/dragon). At the end of
身合首琥龍紋璧」（插圖 19）被視為具強大的引魂升天的法 the Warring States period a type of bi discs decorated with
力。 a band of hulong appeared, the ‘twin-bodied-hulong bi discs’
(fig. 19). The Han ruling family originated from the Chu area,
養德堂藏拍品 2777 的穀紋璧，與近年湖北荊州熊家冢 JSK1 祭 and it is evident from the burials of Early to Middle Western Han
祀坑出土穀紋璧，無論在玉質、尺寸都很相似，應是楚王禮 nobilities that the ‘twin-bodied-hulong bi discs’ were considered
天之祭器。拍品 2776 的穀紋璜、拍品 2778 的雙身合首琥龍 to possess immense powers, able to guide the departed souls to
紋璧也是楚系禮玉，後者或因埋藏墓中而白化甚。 heaven.
小結 The grain-patterned bi disc (lot 2777) in the Yangdetang
Collection is very similar in material and size to the one recently
典雅、含蓄、溫潤的美玉，合乎華夏族羣高尚堅貞且中庸平 excavated from the sacrificial pit JSK1 in Xiongjiazhong of
和的審美觀，是以儒家強調「君子比德於玉」。養德堂藏玉 Jingzhou, Hubei.These were probably ritual objects in the offering
正是此一文化傳統最好的見證。 to heaven by the King of Chu.The grain-patterned huang pendant
(lot 2776) and the ‘twin-bodied-hulong bi disc’ (lot 2778) are also
Chu-style ritual jades. The latter had been extensively altered to
opaque white colour due to burial.
CONCLUSION
Elegant, restrained and lustrous, the beauty of fine jades
resonates with the noble, enduring and harmonious aesthetics
of the Chinese people. This is the reason Confucians compare a
gentleman’s virtue to jade. The Yangdetang Collection is a fine
testament to this cultural tradition.
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