Jade Flaring Bracelet
Jade Flaring Bracelet
National Treasure
National Treasure Intro
The Jade Flaring Bracelet is in the collection of the National Museum of Prehistory in Taiwan.
This jade bracelet is from the Late Neolithic period, it was excavated from a one-person slate coffin in the Peinan site. It was worn by on the left arm of the tomb’s female owner, with the trumpet part facing upwards, and was often accompanied by a jade tube necklace or bell-shaped jade head ornament. This Jade Flaring Bracelet is the largest of its kind and it was suitable for a slender woman to wear. After putting on the jade bracelet, it can be placed over the elbow joint.
Among all the excavated Jade Flaring Bracelet, this piece is the most exquisite and of the highest quality, clearly demonstrating the exquisite skills of craftsman in Taiwan during the prehistoric age. Therefore, it was designated as a national treasure in 2012.
3D gallery：Jade Flaring Bracelet
National Treasure Appreciation
The outside diameter of the Jade Flaring Bracelet is 93.8mm, the inside diameter is 58.8mm, and the weight is 30.9g. It is made by grinding down a piece of Taiwan jade (nephrite) until it looks translucent.
The sides of the disc are in an L shape, but they are not right-angle L shape, instead, the inner and outer discs meet in a circular shape, and the inner diameter is nearly a square.
The outside diameter is flared out in the shape of a mouth like the bell of a trumpet. There are a lot of decorative details on the object’s body, there are no visible signs of modification, showing that there was a high level of skill in producing this object. It is a rare and unique object.
References
- National Cultural Heritage Database Management System
- Yeh Mei-Chen, “Prehistoric Precious Jade: The Peinan Site Jade Ornaments,” National Museum of Prehistory Wenhua Yizhan, 31:2012, pp.47-53.
- Yeh Mei-Chen, “Series 1 in the Stories Behind the Prehistoric Museum’s National Treasure: The World of the Jade Flaring Bracelet and the Double Convex Collar,” ，National Museum of Prehistory Digital Bulletin, 302, 2015.
- Yeh Mei-Chen and Li K’un-Hsiu, “Series 2 in the Stories Behind the Prehistoric Museum’s National Treasure. Talking about how to Wear the Jade Flaring Bracelet and the Bell-Shaped Jade Bead: Discoveries from PNPAB7 in Peinan Cultural Park,” ， National Museum of Prehistory Digital Bulletin, 308, 2015.
Collection
The National Museum of Prehistory (NMP) began in 1980 with the construction of the new Taitung Station on the South Line Railway, which led to the discovery of the Peinan Site. The Peinan Site is the largest and most complete prehistoric settlement ever found in Taiwan, and has the largest slate coffin burial complex in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Rim.
In response to the call to preserve Taiwan’s cultural resources, the NMP was built to the south side of the Kangle Station in Taitung, and the original Peinan Site was turned into the Peinan Archaeological Site Park. The Museum of Archaeology, Tainan Branch of NMP was also established in the Southern Taiwan Science Park in Tainan, where there is the most abundant cultural layer in southwest Taiwan.All these precious materials can be viewed on the “National Museum of Prehistory’s Database.”
Recommended objects
By using the Taiwan glossary available on the Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT-Taiwan),
objects can be better understood by linking them to similar objects in global collections.
objects can be better understood by linking them to similar objects in global collections.
