Jade grain

[Jade Valley Pattern]

Jade Valley Pattern, Warring States Period, 6.5 cm long, 2.3 cm wide and 1.4 cm high. Unearthed from the Warring States Tomb in Yanggong Township, Changfeng County, Anhui Province in 1977
This jade is made of typical sapphire, which rarely appears in the Warring States jades except for Bi. The work is rectangular and flaky, with both ends rolled down. The surface is decorated with convex grain patterns. Every three grains are grouped together and connected by a negative line
About the names of various parts of ancient jade sword decorations, the descriptions in the literature are different, reflecting the appellation differences between times and regions. In ancient atlases since the Song Dynasty, most of these works are labeled “璏”. Wu Dacheng called this kind of jade “璲” in his “Examination of Ancient Jade Painting”, but in the ancient literature, “璲” was interpreted as a jade pendant different from the sword ornament. Wu Dacheng regarded the sword sheath as a sword garment, and the jade ornament as an extension of clothing. According to archaeological findings, it is a jade piece decorated on the side of the scabbard. At present, there are mainly two kinds of jade ornaments, which are long and short. Their patterns and shapes vary greatly.