Thursday, July 28, 2016

Jade

Jade and men, both are sharpened by bitter tools.
~Chinese proverb


Did you know that jade has been used to make weapons? I usually think of jade as being used for jewelry or sculptures, but I saw jade knives and hatchets while I was putting this post together. Another misconception corrected: I tend to think of jade as being green, but, as you can see, it varies.

Chinese Figure of Lan Caihe, Qing Dynasty, Daoguang Period, 1821-1850
photo by Daderot

Model of a mountain with figures

Pig
China, Han dynasty, 206 B.C.- A.D. 220

Top view of Jade burial suit dated from 40 BC, excavated from the Xishan Tomb 1 (僖山一号墓) of Prince of Liang Liu Sui (刘遂) at Yongcheng, Henan.
photo by Zcm11

Dagger Hilt (White nephrite jade with gold, coral, silver, rubies, emeralds, pearls, spinels, sapphires and glass)
India, Mughal, circa 1800

Jade rython cup sits on the horns and tail of a monster-mask near its base. A tiger headed creature peers over its rim and another with a bird tail lifts its head up to the edge of the rim. A third smaller creature climbs up the cup's side.

Cup with dragon and bird design, Ming dynasty
16th century–17th century


1 comment:

HWY said...


I love jade, too, and have learned that it comes in different colors. My wife asked for an apricot jade ring for our 25th anniversary, and it was gorgeous.

These are wonderful examples of jade and it is amazing how it can be used in so many various shapes and sizes. I particularly liked the rython cup and the dragon and bird cup.