Six-tier tube (cong 琮) with masks, probably recut

Tall, squared, hollow cylinder of the type ts’ung [cong] 琮; projecting collar at top and base; mottled rich browns, black, and yellowish tan; decoration: channeled and incised, vertical grooves on sides, horizontal notches, ridges, and circles at corners. (Slight surface defects.)

Maker(s)
Artist: Liangzhu culture 良渚 (ca. 3300-ca. 2250 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 3300-2250 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 18.8 x 7.7 x 7.8 cm (7 3/8 x 3 1/16 x 3 1/16 in) Diam (hole): 6.9 cm (2 3/4 in)
Geography
China, Lake Tai region
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1916.157
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: cong

Keywords
China, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), nephrite
Provenance

To 1916
Lai-Yuan and Company, New York, to 1916 [1]

From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Lai-Yuan and Company in 1916 [2]

From 1920
The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 894, pg. 197, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous Owner(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Lai-Yuan & Company (C.L. Freer source) ca. 1915-April 1921

Description

Tall, squared, hollow cylinder of the type ts’ung [cong] 琮; projecting collar at top and base; mottled rich browns, black, and yellowish tan; decoration: channeled and incised, vertical grooves on sides, horizontal notches, ridges, and circles at corners. (Slight surface defects.)

Published References
  • Frederick William Gookin. Catalogue of a Loan Exhibition of Ancient Chinese Paintings, Sculptures and Jade Objects from the Collection formed by Charles Lang Freer, and Given by Him to the Nation through the Smithsonian Institution, Exhibition November 15 to December 8, 1917. Exh. cat. Chicago, November 15 - December 8, 1917. No. 101, p. 46.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)

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