gems, jade, nephrite, jadeite, fei cui, China, Burma, Chinese jade carving, coral, agate, quartz, rock crystal, chalcedony, onyx, amethyst, turquoise

This extensively illustrated catalogue presents the award-winning works from the 2020 Tiangong Prize, one of China’s major national competitions for contemporary jade and stone carving. The collection documents the extraordinary range of materials, techniques, and artistic approaches employed by modern Chinese carvers, encompassing jade and other ornamental stones fashioned as figures, animals, landscapes, vessels, scholar’s objects, and sculptural compositions. Works combine traditional Chinese subjects and symbolism with increasingly individual and contemporary approaches to design, while exploiting the natural color, texture, translucency, inclusions, and form of the rough material as integral elements of the finished carving. The volume provides a valuable visual record of contemporary Chinese lapidary craftsmanship and changing aesthetic preferences, demonstrating the continuing importance of jade carving as both a traditional craft and a modern sculptural art. As a dated record of prize-winning works, it is particularly useful for documenting materials, carving styles, subject matter, and technical standards current in the Chinese jade and ornamental-stone industry in 2020.