gems, jade, China, Chinese jade carving, Chinese lapidary arts, archaic jades

Chinese statesman, scholar, and connoisseur Wu Dacheng (Wu Ta-Ch’eng; 1835–1902) collected a wide variety of Chinese antiquities, but most especially jades. Wu was among the first to deduce the use and meaning of many of the ancient jades being unearthed in China. He gave the first plausible explanations for such ritual jades as the cong, huang, and xuanji. Wu published his findings in his famous book Guyu Tukao (Ku yü t'u k'ao) in 1889. Originally two volumes, it illustrates 245 jades in woodcuts done by his brother. It was later reprinted in four volumes and then again (in Taipei) in 1971. Laufer relied heavily—perhaps too heavily—on Wu’s writings and reproduced in his book 95 of Wu’s illustrations. Sinkankas: In two quarto volumes published in 1889 by the well-known scholar and statesman, Wu Ta-cheng, who was born in Suzhou in 1833. He graduated as tsin shih in 1868 and became a member of the Hanlin Academy.” He continues, “In his work on jades, two hundred and fifteen pieces are illustrated in outline, reduced to seven-tenths of their original size, described according to their coloring, identified with their ancient names, and explained with quotations from ancient literature. The text is a facsimile reprint of Wu’s own expressive and energetic handwriting. The engravings… are far above average… executed with care and in good proportionate measurements.” Laufer, who highly esteemed this work, further stated, “I was forced to reproduce the material of Wu almost in its entirety [in his Jade] owing to its great archaeological importance.” See also the Wong Collection (mentioned above), which in part furnished the material for the study described herein. Una Pope-Hennessy, in Jade Miscellany (pp. 59-60), also reviews this work but gives the publication date as 1884: “This book consists of four thin volumes, small octavo in size, containing two hundred and fifteen drawings, about which Dr. Laufer entertained no suspicions. The objects dealt with are limited in type, but their colors are described, and for the benefit of Chinese readers, quotations from the classics are included. The text reproduced the author’s bold brush writing.” Born 21; Yang 0909. According to Goette (p. 302), the author issued his Su Ku Yin Kao [Investigations into Old Jade] some years later. This version adds appropriate punctuation, spacing, and italics where needed, while fixing small errors and inconsistencies in names and citations.