Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.51.9
Title
Ornate Jade Handle on an Eastern Zhou- or Han-Period Bronze Dagger
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
handle
Date
16th cent. BCE - 11th cent. BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Shang dynasty, c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204562

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Translucent olive-green nephrite handle (Shang period); bronze blade inlaid with turquoise and gold foil (Warring States or Han period)
Technique
Inlaid
Dimensions
8 x 2.1 x 1.1 cm (3 1/8 x 13/16 x 7/16 in.)

Published Text

Catalogue
Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University
Authors
Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber
Publisher
Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1975)

Catalogue entry no. 117 by Max Loehr:

117 Ornate Handle
Slightly tapering, rectangular handle of translucent olive-green jade. The shape compares with Nos. 112:“114”:https://www.harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/205229?q=1943.50.129, but the design of the scales appears to be more primitive. The handle is attached to a tanged bronze dagger inlaid with turquoise; patches of gold foil adhere to the surface. This assemblage, however, as Salmony had recognized, cannot be accepted as ancient. The handle is not wide enough to engage the tang; moreover, the mode of attachment is obscured by a bronze guard of late Eastern Chou or Han design. The handle itself, whose actual usage remains undetermined, is of Shang date.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.51.9
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

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Publication History

  • Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University (Cambridge, MA, Fogg Art Museum, 1975)., cat. no. 117, p. 109

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Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu