Lot 301. A celadon and russet jade disc, huan, Western Han dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), 9.4 cm, 3 3/8  in.  Estimate 80,000 — 120,000 HKD. Photo: Sotheby's.

of circular form, carved to both sides around the central aperture with the 'grain' pattern, the stone of a pale celadon colour with some mottled brown colouration.

Provenance: A Hawaiian private collection.
Christie's New York, 20th March 1997, lot 111.

Note: This light greenish-white jade exhibits a strong sense of glassy texture. Suffused with brown, some parts have cinnabar-red inclusions. Both sides are covered with a delicate grain design, so meticulously carved when fondled it feels prickly to the touch, and both the inner hole and outer circumference have blade-like edges. According to the Erya [Approaching Elegance (compendium of glosses, 3rd century BC)], Shiqi [Elucidating Utensils and Tools], "If sides are double the size of the hole, it is called a bi ('disc'); if the hole is double the size of the sides, it is called a yuan ('large hole disc'); if the sides and the hole are equal in size, it is called a huan ('disc-ring')’. The collector offered his own critique of the ring as "This rice-sprout blossom from the Western Han is actually an object unearthed in recent years, and to have such authenticity, refinement, and freshness combined all in one piece has rarely been seen before".