The Glorious Age of Chinese Jades

Abstract

Beijing was at one time or another the capital city of the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, each of which left a great legacy rich in jades and art. The majority of historical material indicates that the trend in jade art during this period was gradually to turn away from the characteristics typical of the Song and Jin periods — a combination of outer form and inner beauty — and eventually to shift the emphasis to craftsmanship, decoration and commercialization, largely ignoring the content and image of the objects. It was a time of economic prosperity and cultural enrichment, and a fashion for collecting ancient jades began to spread through the large- and medium-sized towns. This in turn stimulated the craft of jade carving, in particular encouraging the manufacture and collection of reproduction pieces.