Used in China since Antiquity, jade is a material endowed with an infinity of mystical, poetic or moral metaphors. Already Confucius, in a few memorable lines, spoke of jade and the richly symbolic dimension of its material, appreciated for its hardness and the variety of its colours. What was handed down by tradition can be summed up as elegance, firmness and nobility. Read more.
Apollo’s November issue includes a feature on the history of jade.
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Jade pig-dragon (zhulong) (c. 3500–3000 BC). MNAAG, Paris, don Georges Gieseler, 1932, MG 18396 © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier
Mystery clock with a divinity (1931), Cartier Paris. Collection Cartier, CM 04 A 31
Photo: Marian Gérard, Collection Cartier © Cartier
Dragon-shaped pendant (4th century BC). MNAAG, Paris, don Georges Gieseler, 1932, MG 18435 © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée Guimet, Paris) / Thierry Ollivier
Cup in the shape of a lotus leaf with turtle décor (South Song Dynasty, 12th-13th century). National Palace Museum, Tapei, Guyu 544. © National Palace Museum, Tapei
Jade mountain miniature shanzi (18th century). National Palace Museum, Tapei, Guyu 2880. © National Palace Museum, Tapei
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