Feb., 1912. 



Jade. 



225 



dating. In the period T'ien-chung (1023-1032), this piece was found 

 in the grave of Kao Ch'ai, a disciple of Confucius, who had lived in the 

 sixth century b. c. (Giles, 

 Biographical Dictionary, p. 

 651). This news was prob- 

 ably nothing more than a 

 dealer's advertisement and 

 confirms the impression gained 

 from the design that this is a 

 genuine work of the Sung 

 period. The hydra is laid 

 around a spiral explained as 

 the cosmic symbol t'ai yi, 

 which occupied the philoso- 

 phers of the Sung time to a 

 great extent, and the presence 

 of the rat, or whatever species Jade Girdle _ Pen JXhJL and Bird-Head 



(from Ku yii t'u p'u). 



Fig. 130. 

 Jade Girdle-Pendant, Hatchet-Design (from Ku yii t'u P'u). 



