Knife (dao 刀)
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Terms of Use
Usage Conditions ApplyAt A Glance
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Period
ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE -
Geography
Anyang, probably Henan province, China -
Material
Jade (nephrite) -
Dimension
H x W x D: 5.4 × 25.9 × 0.5 cm (2 1/8 × 10 3/16 × 3/16 in) -
Accession Number
S1987.706 -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_S1987.706
Object Details
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Description
Knife blade with single cutting edge, curved to point; straight back with extended, elongated tang; double-level notches on top; opaque greenish-white. (Totally calcified; one nick on cutting edge; brownish surface substance [from textile?], mostly on one side; with red specks on this side [from number paint?].) -
Provenance
By 1939 to 1959Diedrich Abbes (1866-1959), Greenwich, CT [1]1959 to 1987Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from the estate of Diedrich Abbes on July 10, 1959 through Frank Caro, C. T. Loo Chinese Art, New York [2]From 1987Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler in 1987 [3]Notes:[1] Diedrich Abbes loaned the collared disk to Arden Gallery, New York for "3000 Years of Chinese Jade" exhibition, see: Arden Gallery, 3000 Years of Chinese Jade exh. cat. (January 10 to February 11, 1939) no. 9 (ill.).[2] See note on Arthur M. Sackler, M.D. letterhead acknowledging the "purchase and receipt of 17 pieces of stone carvings of the Shang, Yin-Chou and Chou periods from the Dietrich Abbes collection. The price in full, exclusive of commission, will be paid as indicated by this note in two installments," copy in object file. See also letter to Frank Caro from Arnold J. Bai of the law firm Goldstein and Peck, Bridgeport Connecticut, September 28, 1960, copy in object file. The letter asks Frank Caro to have (presumably) his client, Arthur M. Sackler, to send the final payment for the Diedrich Abbes Collection of jades to the law firm. Goldstein and Peck mistakenly identify Mr. Caro's business as C. T. Loo Company, when it was called C. T. Loo Chinese Art.[3] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987. -
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection -
Exhibition History
The Arts of China (November 18, 1990 to September 7, 2014)Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades (October 1, 1989 - September 10, 1990)In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)3000 Years of Chinese Jade (January 10 to February 11, 1939) -
Previous custodian or owner
Diedrich Abbes (1866-1959)Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987) -
Origin
Anyang, probably Henan province, China -
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler -
Type
Ceremonial Object -
Restrictions and Rights
Usage Conditions Apply
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