Bi Disc Sculpture - Brown Jade - Orange - Period: Early 20th Century

Bi or Pi discs (as they are known in the West) are generally made of jade. Jade is China's most precious stone, and is also the stone of immortality (a material of unalterable hardness) to which the five Confucian virtues are attached: righteousness, wisdom, benevolence, propriety and loyalty. 

The Bi disc represents the symbol of the celestial universe. It is a disc pierced by a circular central hole that evokes the opening to eternal life. 
The Bi disc was originally a ritual object used during ceremonies to celebrate the worship of the Sun and the Heavens. 
Shamans used this tool to communicate with other worlds. 
The first Bi discs appeared in China 5000 years before Christ. 
According to Chinese tradition, they brought their owners happiness, wealth and protection against disease.
The Bi disc was also used as an emblem of power by Chinese sovereigns, and was sometimes presented to distinguished guests.

Period: Early 20th century
Dimensions : Diameter: 14cm - Height with base: 16cm - Depth: 0.5cm

The existence of these discs remained confidential in the West for a very long time. 
Indeed, this part of Chinese culture and the meaning of the Bi discs were ignored by European traders, unlike calligraphic art or Chinese porcelain. 

Collectors with a passion for Chinese objects then imported the discs to the West, bringing them to the attention of the general public, who were seduced by their meaning and appearance. 

Today, Bi discs are very much in vogue as decorative objects. More and more people are also wearing them as jewellery and amulets. 

More than just a fashion phenomenon, the acquisition of a Bi Disc reveals in its owner a taste for ancient Chinese culture and for the forces of heaven and esotericism.