Pendant in the form of a fish, one of a pair, probably reworked from a collared disk

Object Details

• Description

  Fish pendant of thin, tannish gray material. Curved in form, with incut to mark transition between dorsal fin and splayed, bifurcated tail. Diagonal striations indicate fins. Pairs of ventral fins, one of which is chipped, extend at right angles to the body of the fish. Biconical perforation. One of a pair with F1979.26.

• Provenance

  From 1923-25

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased by Carl Whiting Bishop’s assistant, Dong Guangzhong in China. [1]

  Note:

  [1] See Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office. The object was transferred from the Freer Study Collection (Bishop Collection) to the permanent collection on August 8, 1974. Also see Curatorial Remark 2 in the object record.

• Collection

  Freer Gallery of Art Collection

• Exhibition History

  Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings (February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)

• Origin

  Anyang, probably Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Art, Carving, Chinese Art, Fishes, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Nephrite, Jade, Carl Whiting Bishop collection

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry