Zhou Dynasty Jade Spear Point & Bronze Shaft
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GUEST:
I grew up in Switzerland, and my parents started collecting Chinese art in the 1950s. My father went to China in 1964. And I don't know if he purchased this in China or if he purchased it through a dealer in London that my parents bought a lot of items from.
APPRAISER:
This is a jade point set into a bronze shaft. And it's hard to imagine now that this was a richly embellished object. And underneath the encrustation, there very likely are inlays of gold...
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
...and silver. Certainly turquoise. And a very complex interwoven pattern likely incorporating dragons, fantastic animals weaving in and out in this kind of lacy design. Now this was not meant to be actually used as a spear point because it would have been attached to a wooden shaft. But this was meant...
GUEST:
That's why the holes.
APPRAISER:
That's why the holes there, exactly.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
This was meant for ritual purposes, and it was actually included in a tomb. So the two great periods for the creation of ancient bronzes in China for ritual purposes were the Shang dynasty, followed by the Zhou dynasty-- spelled Z-H-O-U. Now the Zhou dynasty begins in 1046 and goes to 770 B.C.
GUEST:
Oh my goodness. (laughs)
APPRAISER:
We're talking about a very ancient object here.
Guest: Yes.
APPRAISER:
So it's not surprise that we have this kind of reaction to the surface. For years and years and years, these tombs lay undisturbed throughout the Chinese countryside, but in the late 19th century, they started to build a railway system and a road system through the countryside. And in the process, they were unearthing early works of art that were in tombs that were in the way of the construction. Many of those objects formed the core of what we see in the great Western museums throughout the world. Almost none of these retained that jade spear point. You find them not only in spears, but knives. Most often this part doesn't survive. The fact that these two have survived intact is pretty unusual.
GUEST:
That's great.
APPRAISER:
What do you think this is worth?
GUEST:
$20,000?
APPRAISER:
You are great. It's worth about $20,000 to $30,000 at auction.
GUEST:
Wow. That's wonderful.
Appraisal Details
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