Horn Scepter

Terms of Use
Creative CommonsAt A Glance
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Period
1726 -
Geography
China -
Material
Horn -
Dimension
H x W x D: 24.9 x 4.3 x 4.3 cm (9 13/16 x 1 11/16 x 1 11/16 in) -
Accession Number
F1918.49a-e -
EDAN ID
edanmdm:fsg_F1918.49a-e
Object Details
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Artist
Jin Nong (1687-1763) -
Label
This small scepter is carved to resemble a woody fungus known in Chinese as lingzhi ("sacred fungus"). The plant is also called the "fungus of immortality" because it was believed to be a powerful ingredient in elixirs intended to prolong human life. An inscription on the base contains a cyclical date and a sobriquet, or art name, used by the painter and antiquarian, Jin Nong (1687-1763). Thus it is likely that this horn object was made for (or possibly made by) Jin Nong. -
Provenance
To 1918You Xiaoxi (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai, to 1918 [1]From 1918 to 1919Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), given by You Xiaoxi in 1918 [2]From 1920Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]Notes:[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1374, 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. -
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection -
Exhibition History
Worshipping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits (June 17 to September 9, 2001)Beyond Paper: Chinese Calligraphy on Objects (August 18, 1994 to July 3, 1997)Chinese Art (May 9 to November 29, 1993) -
Previous custodian or owner
You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (late 19th-early 20th century) (C.L. Freer source)Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) -
Origin
China -
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer -
Type
Sculpture -
Restrictions and Rights
CC0 - Creative Commons (CC0 1.0)
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