CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY THE CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION ON CHINA AND THE CHINESE Cornell University Library NK 5750.P23 An imperial necklace 3 1924 023 327 905 All books are subject to recall after two weeks Olln/Kroch Library DATE DUE c;fd _^ ■T""" - ft- ^^B^^^™^ GAYLORD PRINTED IN U.S A /M '»S Cornell University Library The original of this book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023327905 wm itlAL NECELAC: f^^'^^ - 7i/d^c^ ^ Co. ^, 7 / '^ ^ 7 / 7^ M. AN IMPERIAL NECKLACE 'y^ HAT this necklace belonged to a member of the Chinese Imperial family cannot be doubted; but in what manner it found its way out of the royal treasure chests and to our shores, must remain an unsolved mystery. It is a product of the late seventeenth or early eighteenth century, a period renowned in art, literature and history. Never before has such a mag- nificent string of jade come out of the East. Each bead — and there are thirty of them — is a brilliant jewel; together their beauty is indescribable. The patina is such that the beads glisten as though freshly dipped in water. Of the hue of an emer- ald, but surpassing that gem in depth, variety and splendour of colour, and translucent as only jade can be, this necklace exemplifies in the highest degree that wonderful va- riety of jade which the Celestials so poetically describe as "moss entangled in melting snow." Nor is this merely a picturesque and empty phrase, for each bead actually seems to consist of a ball of crushed ice in which a fleecy cloud of emerald green is imprisoned. Not only does this string excel in beauty of colour and quality, but also as a remark- able example of lapidary art. The beads are exquisitely cut, each being about half an inch in diameter, and their surface has been polished until it fairly gleams and feels unctuous to the touch. Most extraordinary of all is the fact that each bead has been hol- lowed out — ^not merely pierced — until only a thin shell remains. The original necklace no doubt consisted of one hundred and eight beads, that being the number in the rosary used by the lamas of the Tartar religion. This was introduced into China and worn as part of the ceremonial dress belonging to the nine grades of official rank. These par- ticular beads were hollowed out so that they might not weigh down the personage whose court costume was at best a burden. This hollowing out not only lightened them, but also added to their translucency and lustre. The time consumed in accomplishing this delicate piece of work must have been tremendous; but in those days time was of small importance and human labour and patience were unlimited. Perfection was the thing desired — all else was subsidiary. We can but vaguely imagine how superb this com- plete necklace must have been on the person of the Emperor, clothed in imperial yel- low and seated on his Dragon Throne, surrounded by gorgeously dressed mandarins. To the Chinese, jade is the most precious of stones, and a fine piece is a most cher- ished possession. By them it is looked upon as the quintessence of creation; and the Taoist genii, tradition asserts, used it for food. It is endowed with many magic and curative properties, and was said to have been forged from the rainbow into thunder- bolts for the storm-god. Throughout the globe, wherever Chinese have gone, there also will jade be found. One might almost say that jade gives us an epitomised reflection of the history of Chinese civilisation and culture; it is to jade that one can turn for a register of the emotions and ideals of the Celestial from earliest times. The grandest jades belong to the Chou Dynasty (1122-256 b.c), a period famous for the great teach- ers it brought forth: Confucius and Laotse in China, and Buddha in India. The major- ity of pieces that we see today are nineteenth, or at best eighteenth-century products. As objects of decoration they are very beautiful, and the delicate, intricate work lavished upon them cannot but arouse our admiration. Jade is said to have been known to the legendary Emperor Huang-ti, of the third mil- lennium B.C.; but the term was then used in a more comprehensive way, and another mineral might have been meant. Jade, the mineral we know, was used by the Chinese in the second millennium b.c, if not earlier. The jades of the Chou and most of the Han times were mined in China itself, in the province of Shenshi. These differed materially from those of later periods, both in structure and colour. Long ago, however, these mines were exhausted and today they contain no jade whatever. From about the beginning of the Christian era we read of the chief source of supply being shifted to Khotan; later, Burma and the province of Yunnan also furnished large quantities of this mineral. In the province of Honan, jade is reported to have been dug from the fifth to the eleventh century, but from a good source we have the information that the native Chinese supply gave out in the eleventh century. Today most of the jade carved in China comes from Eastern Turkestan, where it is found in situ in the mountain ranges of Khotan and Yarkand, and water-worn jade pebbles are picked up from the beds of rivers which flow down from these mountains. In the latter part of the eighteenth century a Manchu author, in writing of Chinese Turkestan, says that "the precipitous mountain sides are here entirely made of jade," and describes how "the Mohammedan natives ride upon yaks beyond the snow limit, light fires to loosen the jade and dig out large blocks with their picks, which are rolled down the precipice into the valley below." The K'unlun Mountain was the traditional source of jade, which occurs in many of the rivers flowing down its sides. In the province of Kansu, north of the K'unlun range, jade — ^both cloudy and translucent — of light green, milk- white and sulphur yellow, has been found in situ. Jade was first introduced into Eng- land from Spanish America by Sir Walter Raleigh, who used the Spanish name "piedra de hijada." We wish to acknowledge our indebtedness to Dr. S. W, Bushell, who is our authority for many of the above facts. 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