Round axe, made from a collared disk
![Detail of a pattern](https://asia.si.edu/wp-content/themes/custom/nmaa/nmaa-frontend/public/images/hero-bkgrnd-desktop.jpg)
Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
ca. 1250-ca. 1050 BCE -
Geography
Anyang, probably Henan province, China -
Material
Jade (nephrite) -
Dimension
H x W x D: 19.8 x 20 x 0.8 cm (7 13/16 x 7 7/8 x 5/16 in) -
Accession Number
F1970.39 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1970.39
Object Details
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Description
Flanged pierced pi [bi] 璧 disk with lateral serrations arranged on either side of the central orifice. Buff colored with some darker mottling. The lower edge is ground to a blunt cutting edge. -
Provenance
Duanfang (1861-1911) [1]From at least 1969 to 1970Eugene Meyer (1875-1959) and Agnes E. Meyer (1887-1970), Washington, DC, and Mt. Kisco, NY [2]From 1970Freer Gallery of Art, bequeathed by Agnes E. Meyer, 1970 [3]Notes:[1] The jade is included in Duanfang’s catalogue of his jade collection, published posthumously in 1936 with a preface by Wang Dalong, see Duanfang, Taozhai gu yu tu, vol. 1 (Shanghai, 1936), p. 1:3a.Duanfang was a late Qing government official and a well known collector of Chinese art. See also Thomas Lawton, A Time of Transition: Two Collectors of Chinese Art (Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, 1991), pp. 37-39, fig. 37.An inscription on the box with which the jade was acquired reads: “Zhou, gu bi, Tao zhai zhen cang"; a reference to the Taozhai, Duanfang’s studio provides another indication that the jade was in Duanfang’s collection.[2] The object is included in Agnes E. Meyer’s will and testament dated December 23, 1969, copy in object file.[3] See Agnes E. Meyer’s will and testament cited in note 2. -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)Chinese Art (February 18, 1983 to April 1, 1987)Chinese Art (March 15, 1982 to June 15, 1982)Chinese Art (March 9, 1981 to March 12, 1982)A Decade of Discovery: Selected Acquisitions 1970-1980 (November 9, 1979 to May 22, 1980)Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Memorial Exhibition (September 25, 1971 to October 2, 1972)Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981) -
Previous custodian or owner
Duanfang 端方 (1861-1911)Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer ((1875-1959) and (1887-1970)) -
Origin
Anyang, probably Henan province, China -
Credit Line
Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer -
Type
Ceremonial Object -
On View
Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
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