Disk

Art Historical Context

This exquisite jade disk, known as a *bi*, hails from China's Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220), a golden of imperial expansion, cultural flourishing, and sophisticated artistry. Carved from lustrous nephrite jade—prized for its toughness, translucency, and symbolic purity—this small ritual object measures just 2 3/8 inches (6 cm) in diameter Its perfectly round form with a central circular perforation evokes the ancient Chinese cosmos: the outer circle representing heaven, the hole symbolizing the polestar or cosmic axis. In Han society, jade *bi* disks were grave goods buried with elites, bel...