Immortal Verse: The Jade Poem of Li Bai

This artifact includes eighteen hand-carved jade slips. Sixteen of them are inscribed with the full text of Drinking Alone by Moonlight. The remaining two are shaped end pieces that frame the work, giving it the feel of a complete scroll.

The poem is written in Small Seal Script, a traditional Chinese calligraphy style that dates back to the Qin Dynasty. It was often used for official inscriptions, stone carvings, and poetic tributes. In this case, the choice of script matches the reverent tone of the poem itself, which explores solitude, imagination, and the fleeting nature of companionship.

While the precise age of the carving isn’t known, it’s likely the work was created during the late Qing Dynasty or early Republican period. When scholars and collectors revived older calligraphy and jade carving traditions. The material appears to be nephrite jade. With surface wear, staining, and oxidation that suggest burial or long exposure to the elements.

Two appraisers have examined the piece. Neither was able to definitively date it. As one of them put it, “You’d never get three experts to agree.” That uncertainty is part of the object’s story, and maybe its appeal. It isn’t easily categorized.

This is not a reproduction. It’s not machine-etched or modern tourist fare. It was made by hand, carved one character at a time, and it reflects a time when art, poetry, and material were joined with purpose.

It is a singular object — for private collectors, curators, or institutions seeking a rare and poetic artifact that bridges material craft and spiritual contemplation.

FMV $35K – $50K USD

Dimensions are as follows and can be reviewed in the following images.

The overall dimensions of the Frame are 27.75” (70.5.cm) X 17.5” (44.5cm).

The inside dimensions of the Shadowbox features are 18.5” (47cm) X 8.5” (21.6(cm).

The dimensions for the overall piece is 15.5”(39.4cm) X 7.5”(19cm) as a whole.

The dimensions of the (2) End Pieces are approximately 7.5”(19cm) X 1.0”(2.54cm) X .19”(.5cm) each.

The dimensions of the (16) Seal Script pieces are approximately 6.0”(15.25cm) X .84”(2.135cm) X (.19”(.5cm) each.

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Local pickup preferred. Coordinated shipping available upon request.