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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.265
Title
Jade Composite Zoomorphic and Anthropomorphic Mask
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
ornament
Date
12th-11th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Shang dynasty, c. 1600-c. 1050 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/205021

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Greenish yellow translucent nephrite
Dimensions
H. 3.1 x W. 4 x D. 1.3 cm (1 1/4 x 1 9/16 x 1/2 in.)
Weight 24 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. 165 by Max Loehr:

165 Composite Zoomorphic and Anthropomorphic Mask
Greenish yellow translucent jade mask, carved from a corner fragment of a ts’ung. The corner forms the median ridge of the mask, the two halves of which meet almost at right angles. The mask is rendered in low relief, with incised double lines serving to indicate eyes and other details. Prominence of the nose accounts for the anthropomorphic aspect in the otherwise zoomorphic design. Underneath the nose are two holes indicating the nostrils. A symmetrically carved design of notches frames the top and both sides of the mask. A slanting biconical perforation is drilled through the middle of the smooth, crescent-shaped lower edge. Late Shang or Early Western Chou.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.265
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. 165, p. 132

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