Other Jades in National Palace Museum, part1

Welcome to the National Palace Museum's collection of other jades! Here you can explore some of the most exquisite pieces of jade from China's imperial past. We have a variety of different pieces on display here, including a Jadeite Cabbage in a cloisonne flowerpot, Jasper Plate with Gold Tracery, Xi Bodkin with Chi Tiger Pattern, Jade Divine Beast, Jade Horn-shaped Cup, Jade Cong Tube, Jade High-stemmed Cup, Jade Pi-Hsieh Auspicious Beast, Jade Duck and Jade Flower-holder in the Shape of Fish-Creature. These pieces are all incredibly intricate and beautiful, and they tell us a lot about the craftsmanship and artistry of the time period. Come take a look at these amazing artifacts today!

1. Jadeite Cabbage, in a cloisonne flowerpot

This piece looks a lot like a piece of bokchoy cabbage. It's carved from green jadeite, and it has the same pure white vegetable body and brilliant green leaves. It also has two insects on the leaves - a locust and a katydid.

2. Jasper Plate with Gold Tracery

This plate has a gold rim and a center inlaid with red glass, which is a unique technique used in pieces from the Mughal Empire of Northern India. The Qianlong Emperor (r. 1736-1795) considered Hindustan jade from Northern India to be better than Chinese jades

3. Xi Bodkin with Chi Tiger Pattern

This piece is a carving of a "xi" dragon, a type of hornless dragon that looks like a tiger. The dragon is shown in profile, with its head turned back. The carving is made from a type of jade that has hints of russet red, which makes it quite unique.

4. Jade Divine Beast

This work depicts a winged divine beast carved in the round. The beast has a tiger head, with its mouth open and teeth bared. It also has a goatee on its chin.

5. Jade Horn-shaped Cup

The cup is made of greenish-white jade and shaped like a horn. It is decorated with the carving of a coiling dragon.

6. Jade Cong Tube

This jade cong tube was probably brought into the Qing court in the 19th century. It is carved from a piece of deep green nephrite with light and dark ochre spotting. The surface still has the arcing traces of depressions from when the jade was first cut.

7. Jade High-stemmed Cup

This is an example of a jade single-handled cup with a high foot, carved from a piece of lustrous, semi-translucent white jade. The cup is long and slender, with a round cavity bored through, fitted with a handle and given a high foot.

8. Jade Pi-Hsieh, auspicious beast

The "pi-hsieh" is a mythological creature that people in ancient China thought could ward off evil forces with its magical powers. "Pi-hsieh" were usually represented as winged, four-legged beasts in paintings and sculptures from the Han dynasty.

9. Jade Duck

This jade duck was sculpted using a yellow nephrite. Its head, belly, and feet are dark brown in color. The jade duck features simple sculpting techniques, but its physical features (i.e., lifted tail and rounded bottom) were accurately portrayed to evoke a sense of adorability

10. Jade flower-holder in the Shape of Fish-Creature