Feb., 1912. 



Jade. 



259 



/* 





is not known. Prof. Giles (No. 473) registers this phrase with the 



translation "a pouch, slung over the shoulders, for carrying despatches 



etc." (compare chao hui "official despatch"). It may be that such 



or a similar idea ("a girdle ornament used, or authorizing the bearer 



to carry official documents") was instrumental in causing the people 



to transfer this expression 



to the ancient girdle-clasps 



the proper use of which 



they no longer understood. 



Or the name may have 



arisen out of a confusion 



with the ch'ao tai, the court 



girdles of jade of the T'ang 



dynasty. 



From Wu's collection of 

 eight specimens, four have 

 been selected (Figs. 162- 

 165) to show the identity 

 in style and make-up with 

 those in our collection. It 

 should be remarked that 

 these drawings are incor- 

 rect from our point of view ; 

 if, as here, the side-view 

 with the loop is shown, the 

 full view of the surface can- 

 not appear at the same 

 time, but it must naturally 

 be shortened according to 

 the laws of perspective. If, 

 on the other hand, the sur- 

 face is illustrated as on our 

 Plate XXXIII, the loop on the back naturally remains invisible. Despite 

 this obvious misrepresentation, I believed I should retain these sketches, 

 because in their method they are so characteristic of Chinese drawing, 

 and because they will afford some idea of the appearance of the sec- 

 tions of these pieces. And, as will be seen presently, I have reason to 

 insist on the perfect identity of Wu's specimens with my own. 



In our collection there are six such jade clasps of the Han period , 

 grouped on Plate XXXIII, representing five different kinds of jade, 



2 and 3 being of the same light gray. The clasp in Fig. 1 (11.7 cm X 



3 cm) is light green in color with layers of brownish-red. It is decorated 



Fig. 164. 



Girdle-Clasp of White 



Jade. 



