Harvesting knife (hu 笏), fragment

Ceremonial implement; blade form of irregular, quadrilateral shape; short ends oblique; cutting edge sharp and slightly curved; three conical perforations near upper straight edge; black with traces of dark olive brown; profuse granular pittings; high luster. (Edge chipped.)

Acquired with a box, now lost.

Maker(s)
Artist: Longshan culture 龍山 (ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 2000-ca. 1700 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 26.7 × 8.5 × 0.6 cm (10 1/2 × 3 3/8 × 1/4 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1916.244
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: harvesting knife (hu)

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

Ceremonial implement; blade form of irregular, quadrilateral shape; short ends oblique; cutting edge sharp and slightly curved; three conical perforations near upper straight edge; black with traces of dark olive brown; profuse granular pittings; high luster. (Edge chipped.)

Acquired with a box, now lost.

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
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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