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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.209
Title
Primitive Jade Bird Silhouette
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
ornament
Date
late 19th - early 20th century
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Qing dynasty, 1644-1911
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204915

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Translucent pale green nephrite
Dimensions
H. 6.2 x W. 4 x D. 0.3 cm (2 7/16 x 1 9/16 x 1/8 in.)
Weight 13 g

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. 599 by Max Loehr:

599 Primitive Bird Silhouette
The figure, which is primitive in so far as it lacks style, was fashioned from a fragment of a translucent pale green jade with several perforations and a sharpened edge. Though primitive and incomplete, the silhouette is not wanting in expressiveness. While the absence of stylistic properties precludes dating, it is possible that the fragment as such goes back to the Chou period.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.209
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. 599, p. 415

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