{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/2/context.json","@type":"sc:Manifest","@id":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad/manifest","label":"gaa_pi-ornament-for-lower-end-of-scabbard_632","metadata":[{"label":"Identifier","value":"gaa_pi-ornament-for-lower-end-of-scabbard_632"},{"label":"Citation","value":"Object Name, Date Original (if known), GettDigital: Asian Art Collection, Special Collections / Musselman Library, Gettysburg College, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Access Date, Link to Item"},{"label":"Repository","value":"Special Collections and College Archives, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College"},{"label":"Inventory Number","value":"632"},{"label":"Part of","value":["Asian Art GettDigital Collection"]},{"label":"Provenance","value":"The Estate of Prof. Frank Kramer"},{"label":"Genre","value":["Artifacts"]},{"label":"Object Location","value":"J.5"},{"label":"Date","value":"D:00 M:00 Y:220"},{"label":"Date Original","value":"3rd century BCE-3rd century CE (206 BCE-220 CE)"},{"label":"Era","value":["Attributed to the Han dynasty"]},{"label":"Measurement","value":"Height: 3.8 cm; With at top 2.2 cm; Width at bottom 2.9 cm"},{"label":"Medium","value":["Rusty warm and dark brown color nephrite with some lighter areas, opaque with a dull luster, not polished","Other stones"]},{"label":"Country of Origin","value":["China"]},{"label":"Description","value":"This Pi ornament was attached to the lower end of a scabbard. In ancient times, Chinese Emperors carried a sword in their belts adorned at the upper and lower ends with ornamental jade carvings called pêng and pi, respectively. The pi shape in general is bell-shaped. It was destined for scabbards terminating in a curved narrow tip, accordingly holding one-edged knives or swords.* At all times, according to Chinese beliefs, wearing jade ornaments helps remind the owner, both of the metaphoric immortal associations of the material and the implication of auspicious emblems. The small oval perforation on the top of this pi was probably drilled from both sides with a rotating drill. The nephrite material used in this carving exhibits a rusty warm and dark brown color, opaque with a dull luster. There are traces of grinding marks on the surface like those of earlier times made by abrasive sands. Very rarely was the surface of ancient nephrite embellished on Neolithic objects. The decoration on ornaments like this is self-explanatory, and typical of the Han period's aesthetic style. Low-relief carving of the taotie motif at the center on both sides of the object is confined by two horizontal low ridges.** This Pi ornament can be dated to the Han period or immediately thereafter. Objects like this could easily be misidentified as tomb goods or ming chih, since in ancient China, as everywhere, people had cherished belongings buried with them. However, in the case of jade, very few ancient artifacts survived. Some buried objects, occasional found, prove that jade survival was problematic; they were either handed or buried. Most ancient jade from the Han and pre-Han periods were mainly abandoned, and rarely have the buried pieces survived. * For further description of this type, see Berthold Laufer, Archaic Chinese Jades Collected in China by A. W. Bahr, now in Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago (New York: Priv. printed for A. W. Bahr, 1927), pp.280-85. Dr. Laufer's description on this object is accompanied by an illustration of an ancient engraving of King Wu of Ch'u (c. 740-690 B.C.), holding a sword in his belt adorned with the pêng and pi ornaments; this picture is attributed to the famous painter Ku K'ai-chih of the 14th century A.D. ** For a thorough explanation of the taotie mask, see Curatorial Remark."},{"label":"Title","value":"Pi ornament for lower end of scabbard"},{"label":"Rights","value":"Materials available through GettDigital encompass a wide range of works, many of which are in the public domain. However, some items may still be protected by copyright or other intellectual property rights. Users are responsible for determining the copyright status of materials and ensuring compliance with all applicable laws when reproducing or publishing these works. Items in our GettDigital Collections are for educational use. For assistance in understanding rights, obtaining permissions, or requesting files for publication or research purposes, please contact us at <a href=\"www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/ask-an-archivist\">www.gettysburg.edu/special-collections/ask-an-archivist</a>"},{"label":"Reference URL","value":"http://cdm16274.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p4016coll6/id/605"}],"description":"Pi ornament for lower end of scabbard","sequences":[{"@type":"sc:Sequence","canvases":[{"@id":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad/canvas/_1","@type":"sc:Canvas","label":"Pi ornament for lower end of scabbard","height":576,"width":384,"images":[{"@type":"oa:Annotation","motivation":"sc:painting","resource":{"@id":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad/full/full/0/default.jpg","@type":"dctypes:Image","format":"image/jpeg","service":{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/image/2/context.json","@id":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad","profile":"http://iiif.io/api/image/2/level2.json","tiles":[{"width":512,"scaleFactors":[1,2]}]},"height":576,"width":384},"on":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad/canvas/_1","metadata":[]}],"thumbnail":{"@id":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad/full/500,500/0/default.jpg","@type":"dctypes:Image","height":500,"width":500}}]}],"thumbnail":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/01f8b6ac-dcd7-4d91-a774-947edc9c02ad/full/500,500/0/default.jpg","logo":"https://iiif.quartexcollections.com/gettysburg/iiif/logo"}