Six-tier tube (cong 琮) with masks, probably recut

Detail of a pattern
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At A Glance

  • Period

    ca. 3300-2250 BCE
  • Geography

    Lake Tai region, China
  • Material

    Jade (nephrite)
  • Dimension

    H x W x D: 18.8 x 7.7 x 7.8 cm (7 3/8 x 3 1/16 x 3 1/16 in)
  • Accession Number

    F1916.157
  • EDAN ID

    edanmdm:fsg_F1916.157

Object Details

  • Description

    Tall, squared, hollow cylinder of the type ts’ung [cong] 琮; projecting collar at top and base; mottled rich browns, black, and yellowish tan; decoration: channeled and incised, vertical grooves on sides, horizontal notches, ridges, and circles at corners. (Slight surface defects.)
  • Provenance

    To 1916
    Lai-Yuan and Company, New York, to 1916 [1]
    From 1916 to 1919
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Lai-Yuan and Company in 1916 [2]
    From 1920
    The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
    Notes:
    [1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 894, pg. 197, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
    [2] See note 1.
    [3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
  • Collection

    Freer Gallery of Art Collection
  • Exhibition History

    Studies in Connoisseurship 1923-1983 (September 23, 1983 to March 1, 1984)
    Special Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1946 (August 7, 1946 to January 7, 1947)
    Ancient Chinese Paintings, Sculptures, and Jade Objects from the Collection formed by Charles Lang Freer (November 15 to December 08, 1917)
  • Previous custodian or owner

    Lai-Yuan & Company (ca. 1915-April 1921) (C.L. Freer source)
    Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
  • Origin

    Lake Tai region, China
  • Culture

    Liangzhu culture, ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE
  • Credit Line

    Gift of Charles Lang Freer
  • Type

    Ceremonial Object
  • Restrictions and Rights

    CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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