Forked blade (zhang 璋)

Object Details

• Description

  Ceremonial implement; blade with one straight and one slightly concave side; upper end irregularly beveled to a sharp edge; longitudinal median ridge indicated; indented lateral projections and notches on each side above perforated tang; greenish black with black spots and yellowish brown translucence in thin areas; earth-incrusted granular patches on tang. (Breaks on tang and upper end.)

  Acquired with a box, now lost.

• 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. 878, pg. 191, 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

  Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)

  Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes (November 20, 2010 to January 3, 2016)

  Ancient Chinese Jades (May 9, 1993 to May 18, 1998)

  Ancient Chinese Jade (September 4, 1980 to March 6, 1981)

  Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Lai-Yuan & Company (ca. 1915-April 1921) (C.L. Freer source)

  Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

• Origin

  probably Henan province, China

• Culture

  Erlitou culture, ca. 2000-1600 BCE

• Credit Line

  Gift of Charles Lang Freer

• Type

  Ceremonial Object

• On View

  Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades

• Restrictions and Rights

  CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 2000s, BCE 1000s

• Name

  Freer, Charles Lang, Lai-Yuan & Company

• Place

  China, Henan province

• Topic

  Art, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), Chinese Art

• Culture

  Erlitou culture, Chinese

• Object Type

  Ceremonial objects

• On View

  Yes