gems, jade, nephrite, Chinese jade carving

The work comprises a catalogue of 527 specimens in the author's col­lection of ancient Chinese jades ranging from the Sung to the Ch'ing Dynasties. The nucleus of the collection, inherited from his ancestors, was used as material for Investigations into Ancient Jades With Illustra­tions, published in 1889 by Wu Ta-Ch'eng. A portion of the collection came from the estate of a brother, Wong Jui Hsum, and the remainder was assembled by K.C. Wong over a 30-year period. He points out that since the articles in nearly every instance exhibit some form of sym­bolism with significance in religion, myth or folk-lore, appreciation of the object demands acquaintance with the ceremonial and social customs of the people. The author explains the relationship of jade to the cosmic deities, and elucidates the role of the dragon used in jade carv­ing. The catalogue gives dates assigned by Wong only when he is certain. In some instances he has chosen not to date a piece, especially if that type of object was carved during so long a period, that it is difficult to be precise. The illustrations are chosen to show the scope of the collection. Given for each article of jade is the designation, Chinese equivalent in Roman type, color, size (in inches) and period. A glossary of Chinese terms relating to jades is appended.