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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.235
Title
Heraldic Jade Bird Silhouette in Openwork
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
ornament
Date
475 BCE - 221 BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 475-221 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204994

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Milky, pale green and light brown translucent nephrite
Dimensions
3.4 x 5.8 x 0.4 cm (1 5/16 x 2 5/16 x 3/16 in.)
unspecified: 11 g
Inscriptions and Marks
  • inscription: 廿二 (twenty two) -- incised on top edge of bird's head

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. 417 by Max Loehr:

417 Heraldic Bird Silhouette in Openwork
Milky, pale green and light brown translucent jade. The sharp-cornered edges indicate the use of a cutting or sawing technique distinct from that used in Shang or early Chou jade. The bird’s head is shown in profile, while the rest of the image is depicted as seen from the front. The narrow, slightly outspread wings, the long legs extending beyond the wing tips, and the cusped tail distinguish this bird from earlier types. The heraldic pose may suggest West Asian inspiration. The pearl (or fruit?) held in the bird’s beak is a motif previously unknown in Chou. The surfaces were left undercoated. Late Eastern Chou.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.235
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. 417, p. 285
  • Jenny So, Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2019), pp. 236-8, cat. 31B

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