Harvesting knife (hu 笏)

Object Details

• Description

  Blade. Tannish gray stone cutting blade of uneven shape. The cutting edge, which curves upward on two diagonal planes, is beveled from one side. An irregularity in the flat upper edge of the blade apparently was part of the original, resulting from an imperfection in the material. Two closely placed bi-conical perforations occur along the upper edge of the blade.

• Provenance

  1923-1934

  Acquired by Carl Whiting Bishop in China [1]

  From 1923-1934 to 1974

  Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection [2]

  From 1974

  Freer Gallery of Art permanent collection, transfer to the Freer Gallery of Art Study Collection [3]

  Notes:

  [1] Curatorial Remark 9 in the object record.

  [2] Curatorial Remark 9 in the object record.

  [3] 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 in January 1, 1974.

• 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)

• Origin

  China

• Credit Line

  Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

• Type

  Ceremonial Object

• On View

  Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 2000s, BCE 3000s

• Place

  China

• Topic

  Art, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), Chinese Art, Carl Whiting Bishop collection

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ceremonial objects

• On View

  Yes