DATED BY INSCRIPTION TO THE 29TH YEAR OF THE QIANLONG REIGN, CORRESPONDING TO 1764, AND OF THE PERIOD

Chime stones first appeared in the Shang dynasty and are amongst the earliest musical instruments in China. The chime would have been suspended from the circular aperture at its right angle and assembled in graduated sets of sixteen, according to size. They were hung in two tiers of eight within tall wooden frames. During the early Qing dynasty, the desire to follow Confucian traditions saw a revival of chime stones made by imperial commission for use in ritual ceremonies, banquets and processions.

Qing court protocol referred to two different types of chime stone sets: sets of sixteen stones (bianqing) and sets of twelve stones (teqing).The present chime belongs to the first category. A bianqing spinach green-jade chime with the wushe musical tone, also with gilt decoration of dragons and dated to the Qianlong period, formerly in the Qing Court Collection, is illustrated in Jadeware (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1996, p. 1, pl. 1. Another similar example, but with the bei yi ze note and also dated to the 29th year of the Qianlong period (1764), was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 2 December 2015, lot 3109.