Evening star., 1937-07-11

JduC. lldI 10 WHY WlSc Illell lOVp
Rare Collection in
Freer Gallery of Art.
So We wandered Freed Gallery-w ward
having been told that the finest and
rarest collection in this country of
symbolic and ceremonial jade imple-
ments and ornaments which the late
Mr.. Freer had spent years in collect
ing, was there. Ceremonial imple-
ments denoting the rank of their own
er; symbols Of heaven in the form of
round, fat discs of jade in mingled
tints Of greens, black shadowy browns
with touch OF white; symbols of earth
sometimes octagonal in shape that
seemed to have taken the dull reds,
browns, blues, green's and yellows from
deep down in the bowels of the earth,
eXquisitely carved, chased and en-
graved blades and articles of use in
sulphur color OF pale parchment yell
lows with stains in the jade which
ContuclOuS says are not hidden, but
add to the beauty and are like truth
fulness. One of the loveliest pieces is
q jade blade-a hymbol of rank 1895
by ASS inches of the Chinese, Chou
period, 1l22-225 B. c., Of mellow
beeswaX yellow with the tip symmetri-
cally pointed and the end which is held
IN the hands in an upright position, is
futed and above that carved band
that resembles piece of etched lace
work CONTIGUOUS might have said of
this cyy,@,hc1 enft NJ
shining, like kindnss."
Mr.. Wenley, Connaisseur
And Expert.
After feaSting our eyes on the eX-
hibit in the short corridor of the gall
lery, We decided with much trepda-
tion-owing to our smattering knowl-
edge of the subjects-to ask Mr. Archi-
bald Gibson Wenley, an assistant in
the gallery, who, We had been told, was
not only a connoiSSeur Of the artistic
qualities of jade, but an expert as we'll
from an archaeological and geological
standpoint. and who had spent many
years in the Far East. He was delight
fully interesting, having large case
of specimens of jade and nephrite
brought out in order to illustrate diff
ferent minerals and the locality III
which they were found.
Some Rare Pieces and
Specimens Not Exhibited.
Jade seems to have a strange fas-
cination for those who handle it or
know about its history in ancient
times. 1t becomes a kind of fetish
with them. This was noticed as
MIR. Wenley took from a beautiful Rus
sian leather case piece OF jade,
a symbol Of rank. wedge shape and
perhaps 8x2 inches. He handled it
carefully, smoothing it with his fin
gers as one would some live, beloved
object. In tone it was as mellow as
an ancient bit of parchment or
papyrus Delicately shading into
deeper tlnts, this piece was soft,
smooth and shining" and had may
haps been held by an emperor or lord
of a dynasty Of thousands Of years
ago. Then there were one or two
hatchet-shaped pieces eXquisitely
carved or chased. So fine was the
decoration, it looked almost like
fetched lines. Mr.. Wenley said these
were doubtless used as bells (all of the
symbols had holes of varying sizes
evidently through which cords were
run to hang them by when they
were not in usel-"When struck, it
gives a clear, ringing sound, like
music" He went on to explain that
as the Chinese were an agricultural
people symbolic, ceremonial i'm
plements and articles used on state
occasions were patterned after i'm
plements used in agriculture and gen.
eral utility, and that the art of
the ancient Chinese was Of utili-
tartan order
BY Comparison, Present-Day
Crown Jewels Are Gaudy.
Then we went to walk in the short
corridor where the exhibit is located
and Mr.. Wenley explained in pleas
ing conversational way, some of the
chef d'oeuvres of the collection dat
ing back 5000 years. There was
. necklace of jade and gold 16
inches long, of the Han period, first
century Much has been written
lately of the antiquity of the Brit
ish crown jewels worn at the late
coronation of George VI They would
seem gaudy and parvenuish beside
those old things. This necklace is
one Of the most elaborately carved
pieces in the exhibit, with front
and back pendants; the one at the
back Of the neck consisting of two
exquisitely carved symbolic figures,