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A jade tablet that is oblong and curved in shape with irregular, geometric edges. It is pale yellow in color with some orange coloration at the bottom. There are curved engraved lines on the piece that outline the shape of a bird that looks to the left.

The jade tablet is oblong and slightly curved in shape with irregular, geometric edges. The tablet is shown vertically and on a dark grey background. It is pale yellow in color with some orange coloration at the bottom. There are curved engraved lines on the piece that outline the shape of a bird that looks to the left. The lines on the bird swirl and are circular.

Gallery Text

In the Zhou dynasty the number of jades in burial sites increased significantly, as multiple plaques and beads were sewn or strung together and draped over the face and body of the deceased. Jades in the forms of figures and animals became increasingly realistic, and surface patterns became more complex and highly decorative.

Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.232
Title
Notched Jade Tablet with Incised Bird Figure
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
ornament
Date
10th-9th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Zhou dynasty, Western Zhou period, c. 1050-771 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204960

Location

Location
Level 1, Room 1740, Early Chinese Art, Arts of Ancient China from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age
View this object's location on our interactive map

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Light yellowish brown, partly calcified, faintly translucent nephrite
Dimensions
L. 8.4 x W. 3.2 x Thickness 0.5 cm (3 5/16 x 1 1/4 x 3/16 in.)
Weight 29 g

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History
Grenville L. Winthrop, New York (by 1943), bequest; to Fogg Art Museum, 1943.

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. 331 by Max Loehr:

331 Notched Tablet with Incised Bird Figure
Light yellowish brown, partly calcified, faintly translucent jade in the shape of an irregular segment. On each side is the identical figure of a standing bird incised in double outlines and sloping cuts. The curvilinear flow of the bird design contrasts with the sharply defined hooks and notches of the outer contour. Late Western Chou.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.232
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
Permissions

THIS WORK MAY NOT BE LENT BY THE TERMS OF ITS ACQUISITION TO THE HARVARD ART MUSEUMS.

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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. 331, p. 221
  • Kristin A. Mortimer and William G. Klingelhofer, Harvard University Art Museums: A Guide to the Collections, Harvard University Art Museums and Abbeville Press (Cambridge and New York, 1986), no. 14, p. 22
  • Jenny So, Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2019), pp. 130-32, cat. 14D

Exhibition History

  • S427: Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008
  • 32Q: 1740 Early China I, Harvard Art Museums, 11/16/2014 - 01/01/2050

Subjects and Contexts

  • Google Art Project

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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