An exceedingly rare group of six yellowish-celadon jade pendants, Eastern Zhou dynasty, middle Warring States period | 東周戰國中期　玉組珮一組六件

Ching Wan Society Thirtieth Anniversary Catalogue, vol. 2: Objects of vertu, Taipei, 2025, p. 30.

Comprising intricately carved components, including a rare humanoid figure, arched ‘dragon’ pendants, and complex openwork plaques featuring interlocking dragons, the present set of jade pedants, known as yuzupei encapsulate the dynamic aesthetic and profound philosophical shifts of the middle Warring States period.

During the Zhou dynasty, the wearing of complex jade pendant sets was strictly regulated by sumptuary laws and was exclusively reserved for the highest echelons of the nobility. These assemblages were not merely decorative; they were potent political and cultural symbols. As the Zhou royal court lost its centralised power, regional lords and aristocrats increasingly commissioned lavish jades to assert their status, wealth, and legitimacy. The length, complexity, and quality of a yuzupei directly corresponded to the wearer’s rank within the feudal hierarchy.

Culturally, the Warring States period witnessed the codification of jade’s association with moral virtue, largely driven by emerging Confucian philosophy. The Liji or Book of Rites famously dictates that "a gentleman of virtue never leaves his jade without good reason" The physical properties of jade, its warm lustre, unyielding hardness, and pure resonance, were likened to the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, and wisdom expected of a junzi or gentleman.

Crucially, these pendant sets served an active, performative role in court ritual known as li. Suspended from the waist or shoulders, the various jade plaques and beads would gently strike against one another as the wearer moved. To produce a harmonious, rhythmic tinkling sound, the wearer was forced to adopt a measured, dignified, and upright gait. In this way, the yuzupei pendants acted as a physical restraint, enforcing bodily decorum and projecting the wearer's inner moral cultivation to the outside world.

The present set exhibits the quintessential stylistic innovations of the middle Warring States period. The rigid, geometric forms of the preceding Western Zhou have given way to fluid, sinuous lines and masterful openwork. The interlocking, undulating dragons rendered with subtle bevelling and incised details create a sense of restless energy and three-dimensional depth, a testament to the introduction of iron tools which allowed artisans to work the tough stone with unprecedented precision.

Archaeological excavations provide vital context for understanding the original configuration and significance of such sets. Compare the complexity and motif of the present lot to the magnificent jade assemblages excavated from the tomb of the Marquis Yi of Zeng in Suizhou, Hubei province (c. 433 BC), see Hubei Provincial Museum ed., Zeng Hou Yi Mu [Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng], Vol.2, Beijing, 1989, pl. CLVIII, and the aristocratic tombs of the Chu state in Henan and Hubei, see Jingsha Railway Archaeological Team of Hubei Province ed., Baoshan Chu Mu [Chu Tombs at Baoshan], Vols. 1 & 2, Beijin,1991. Similarly elaborate openwork dragon plaques and huang pendants were also discovered in the royal tombs of the Jin state at Tianma-Qucun, Shanxi province, see Ji Kunzhang ed., Jinhou Mudi Chutu Yuqi [Jades Excavated from the Cemetery of the Marquis of Jin], Beijing, 2014.

Intact or thoughtfully assembled sets of this calibre, which preserve the visual rhythm and conceptual integrity of Warring States elite adornment, are exceptionally rare in private hands. The present group stands as a tangible embodiment of early Chinese philosophical ideals and the sophisticated artistic vision of the Eastern Zhou elite.

出版

《清翫雅集卅周年慶收藏圖錄》，冊2：珍玩，台北，2025年，頁30

此組玉組珮代表了東周時期貴族服飾與玉雕工藝的巔峰。該組件雕工精湛，包含一件較為少見的人形玉飾、龍形玉佩以及紋飾繁複的鏤空交龍紋玉珮，完美展現戰國中期的美學風格與深刻的哲學思想轉變。

在周代，佩戴形制複雜的玉組珮受嚴格的禮制規範，為最高階層貴族所專屬。這些組珮不僅是裝飾品，更是強而有力的政治與文化象徵。隨著周王室中央集權的衰落，各諸侯國君與貴族紛紛命人製作奢華的玉器，以彰顯其地位、財富與正統性。玉組珮的長度、複雜程度與玉質，直接對應佩戴者在封建等級制度中的階級。

在文化層面上，戰國時期見證了玉與道德規範的結合，這在很大程度上歸功於當時興起的儒家思想。《禮記》中名言記載：「君子無故，玉不去身」。玉的物理特性使其帶有溫潤的光澤、以及堅韌的質地與清脆的聲音，這些特性被比作「君子」所應具備的仁、義、智等美德。

組玉佩在宮廷禮儀中也扮演著積極且具表現力的角色。懸掛於腰間，各式玉珮與玉珠在佩戴者走動時會輕輕相互碰撞。為了發出和諧、有節奏的響聲，即所謂的「珩璜充耳」，佩戴者必須保持從容、莊重且端正的步伐。如此一來，玉組珮便成為一種身體上的約束，規範著舉止儀態，並將佩戴者內在的道德修養外顯於世。

本組玉佩展現了戰國中期最典型的風格創新。西周時期僵硬、幾何化的形制，已讓位給流暢蜿蜒的線條與精湛的鏤空技法。交錯起伏的龍紋，透過微妙的斜刀技法與陰刻細節，營造出一種生生不息的動感與立體深度，這印證了鐵製工具的引入，使工匠得以用前所未有的精準度來雕琢堅硬的玉石。

考古發掘出的玉佩及組佩為理解此類組珮的原始形制與意義提供了重要的背景資料。其紋飾風格與湖北隨州曾侯乙墓（約公元前433年）出土的玉佩非常相似，見湖北省博物館編，《曾侯乙墓》，下冊，北京，1989年，圖版一五八。河南、湖北一帶楚國貴族墓葬出土的華麗玉組珮也可相比較，可見其淵源，見湖北省荊沙鐵路考古隊編，《包山楚墓》上、下冊，北京，1991年。此外，山西天馬—曲村的晉侯墓地中，亦曾出土過類似的精美鏤空龍紋玉珮與玉璜，見吉琨璋主編，《晉侯墓地出土玉器》，北京，2014年。

如此等級且保存完整或經過精心重組的玉組珮，能夠保留戰國貴族服飾的視覺韻律與概念完整性，在市場上極為罕見。本組玉珮堪稱中國早期哲學理念與東周貴族高超藝術品味的縮影。