Ornament (shi 飾) with mask and headdress

Object Details

• Description

  The semi-human face has a pronounced bulbous nose in relief; almond-shaped eyes with incised outlines; fangs pointing both up and down; mouth revealing two rows of teeth; tall ornamented headdress; mottled green jade with white marbling; multiple holes at the bottom of the face. (Condition: Roughly carved around back of suspension holes and on left side of mask; slight nicks in edges; traces of calcification.)

• Provenance

  To 1959

  Abel William Bahr (1877–1959), Shanghai, China; London, England; Montreal, Canada; New York, NY, and Ridgefield, Connecticut [1]

  From 1963 to 1987

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from the Bahr Collection in 1963 [2]

  From 1987

  Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [3]

  Notes:

  [1] According to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009.

  [2] See no. 548: "Human face with projections above," on list provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009, copy in object file.

  [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

  In Praise of Ancestors: Ritual Objects from China (September 28, 1987 to January 1, 1989)

• Previous custodian or owner

  Abel William Bahr (1877-1959)

  Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

• Origin

  Hubei province, Middle Yangzi valley, China

• Culture

  Shijiahe culture, ca. 2500-ca. 2000 BCE

• Credit Line

  Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

• Type

  Jewelry and Ornament

• Restrictions and Rights

  Usage Conditions Apply

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Keep Exploring

• Related Resources

  collections.si.edu

• Date

  BCE 2000s

• Name

  Sackler, Arthur M., Bahr, Abel William

• Place

  China, Hubei province, Middle Yangzi valley

• Topic

  Art, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), Chinese Art, Nephrite, Jade, Masks

• Culture

  Shijiahe culture, Chinese

• Object Type

  Ornaments, Jewelry