Finial in the form of a bird with dragon

Jade pendant depicting a single-horned, open-mouthed dragon and a bird. Both the dragon and the bird are presented in profile, superimposed one atop the other, so that the dragon might be read as an appendage of the bird. The flat surfaces of the pendant are embellished with designs in raised lines. (Flaw pits around edges; spots of calcification; deposits, cinnabar.)

Historical period(s)
Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 7.8 x 4.1 x 0.4 cm (3 1/16 x 1 5/8 x 3/16 in)
Geography
China, probably Henan province, Anyang
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.518
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Jewelry

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), bird, carving, China, dragon, nephrite, WWII-era provenance
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Jade pendant depicting a single-horned, open-mouthed dragon and a bird. Both the dragon and the bird are presented in profile, superimposed one atop the other, so that the dragon might be read as an appendage of the bird. The flat surfaces of the pendant are embellished with designs in raised lines. (Flaw pits around edges; spots of calcification; deposits, cinnabar.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 49, p. 93.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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