Published and Illustrated 出版:|Art and Imitation in China, Hong Kong, 2006, p.122, no.17|《馳騁古今：中國藝術的仿摹與創新》，香港，2006年，頁122，編號17|Exhibited 展覽:|University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong (14 October - 17 December 2006)|香港大學美術博物館，2006年10月14日至12月17日|With its connotations of magical protective powers, jade was a particularly appropriate material for weaponry fittings. It was believed to enhance the material strength and force of both the weapon and its wielder. It also would have added value and prestige to the weapon. During the Western Han dynasty, jade sword fittings with three-dimensional chi dragon seemed to be particularly popular. The fact that there are several extant examples may suggest some sort of jade workshop existed with craftsmen excelling in such carving. See J.Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1996, p.294. |This sword chape, with three holes pierced at the top for attachment to the scabbard or blade, is a fine example of the intricate openwork jade carvers were adept at by the Western Han dynasty. The sculptural quality of the three clambering chi dragon likewise reflects the carver's ingenuity. Minute painstaking details were applied such as a rope-twist appearance to the tails of the chi dragon. Compare the chi dragon on two jade sword fittings, similarly carved with rope-twist-type tails, Han dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 4, Beijing, 2011, pp.80-83, nos.67-68.|此珌青白玉質，輕微受沁泛褐色，梯形，中間較厚，微呈弧形凸起，兩側較薄，表面飾陰線虺龍紋，以高淺浮雕工藝再琢三隻螭龍，延伸至另一面。器端中央有三圓孔，用於與劍鞘相接。此器雕工精熟，造型生動靈活，線條精準流暢，實屬難得。|玉珌為安裝於劍鞘底端的飾件，可保護鞘尾，與劍格、玉璏和玉劍首同為玉具劍上的裝飾品，統稱為玉劍飾。《說文》釋曰：「珌，佩刀下飾，天子以玉。」可見玉是珍貴之物，玉劍飾顯示了一個人的身份和地位，是權力和高貴的象徵。玉珌盛行於漢代，多為梯形，紋飾豐富，本拍品同時採用了細膩的高浮雕及低浮雕技法雕琢螭龍紋便是一佳例，也代表了西漢時期精湛的琢玉水平。|北京故宮博物院藏兩件漢代玉螭紋劍珌可資比較，見《故宮博物院藏品大系:玉器編4:漢魏晉南北朝》，北京，2011年，頁80-83，圖版67-68。