Oracle bone fragment, inscribed

Object Details

• Provenance

  From at least 1934

  Freer Gallery of Art, purchased by Carl Whiting Bishop. [1]

  [1] Carl Whiting Bishop acquired the object for the Freer Gallery of Art sometime between 1923 and 1934, when he carried out couple of expeditions to China. The object was transferred from the Freer Study Collection to the Permanent Collection on November 1985. See Curatorial Remark 5 in the object record. Also see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

• Origin

  Anyang, probably Henan province, China

• Credit Line

  Acquired under the guidance of the Carl Whiting Bishop expedition

• Type

  Ceremonial Object

• On View

  Sackler Gallery 24a: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

  There are restrictions for re-using this media. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

  The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 1000s

• Place

  China, Henan province, Anyang

• Topic

  Divination, Art, Chinese Art, Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE), Shang dynasty (ca. 1600 - ca. 1050 BCE), Carl Whiting Bishop collection, Tortoise, Oracle-bone script

• Culture

  Chinese

• Object Type

  Ceremonial objects

• On View

  Yes