"'Collecting Chinese Jade' informs the reader about aesthetic considerations and provides a methodology for collecting. Nearly sixty outstanding Chinese jade objects are described and illustrated in full color. Each object is reviewed in the context of the most recent archaeological information. Detailed notes to the text are provided so that the reader may explore further. By studying the stylistic and physical characteristics of these examples, the collector may apply this knowledge to his or her won quest for the best."--Cover

From around 3000 to 1900BC, the late Neolithic period was a time of transition. In Mesopotamia, Egypt, and all around the Mediterranean basin, better living standards saw the rise of new cultures. In China Far East, along the Yellow River, settlements started to flourish and create their own unique identity. Jade was a precious and extremely difficult to carve mineral, mainly dedicated to the service of rituals or religious ceremonies. However, for a long time, the Shang dynasty jade design was regarded as a mere reproduction of the widely available bronzes the Shang were known for. In this book, the author revisits pre-conceived historical knowledge and, based on the research of well-respected scholar Hayashi Minao and expert historians Deng Shuping and Cai Qingliang, proposes that many of the jades pieces exhibited today in museums and private collections may have come from distinct earlier cultures and that bronze design may have been influenced by these devotional objects, not the reverse. Part one of this book, Jade from the early and middle Shang, presents the historical context in which cultures such as the Erlitou and the Erligang developed their unique style before being assimilated into the later Shang Dynasty. Part two, Jade from the late Shang, focuses on specific examples of ceremonial, weapons, and decorative jade to prove further that these pieces may actually have been anterior to the predominantly bronze ear and, by doing so, bring to light the exceptional craftsmanship of much older cultures. Eighty-four illustrations and photographs of unique jade artworks open a unique window of appreciation for these late neolithic times' sophisticated and little-known cultures.

A catalog illustrating 354 Chinese jades from the collection of Brian McElney, the Peony Collection and the Rannerdale Collection, this bilingual volume includes essays on the art of Chinese jade carving.

Works illustrating 25 centuries of Chinese art.

This handsome book is the first in a major three-volume series that will survey China's immense wealth of art, architecture, and artefacts from prehistoric times to the twentieth century. The Arts of China to AD 900 investigates the beginnings of the traditions on which much of the art rests, moving from Neolithic and Bronze Age China to the era of the Tang Dynasty around AD 900.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 18th Percival David Foundation Colloquy on Art and Archaeology in Asia, held in 1995. The essays were written by a range of international scholars and jade experts, providing a broad overview of the place of Chinese jades in the ancient and modern worlds.