Forked blade (zhang 璋)
![Detail of a pattern](https://asia.si.edu/wp-content/themes/custom/nmaa/nmaa-frontend/public/images/hero-bkgrnd-desktop.jpg)
Terms of Use
Creative CommonsAt A Glance
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Period
ca. 2000-1700 BCE -
Geography
Shenmu Shimao, probably Shaanxi province, China -
Material
Jade (nephrite) -
Dimension
H x W x D: 29 x 5.4 x 0.3 cm (11 7/16 x 2 1/8 x 1/8 in) -
Accession Number
F1916.494 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1916.494
Object Details
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Description
Ceremonial implement; blade with two slightly flaring sides, one obliquely beveled to a sharp cutting edge; upper end sharp and slightly concave; prominent lateral projection on each side above perforated tang; dull blackish brown and greens, translucent in thin areas; granular patches with earth incrustation on reverse of tang.Acquired with a box, now lost. -
Provenance
To 1916You Xiaoxi, Shanghai, to 1916 [1]From 1916 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi, in New York in 1916 [2]From 1920Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1040, pg. 231, 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) -
Previous custodian or owner
You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (late 19th-early 20th century) (C.L. Freer source)Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) -
Origin
Shenmu Shimao, probably Shaanxi province, China -
Culture
Longshan culture, ca. 3000-ca. 1700 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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