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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.230
Title
Small Jade Bird Figure
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
pendant
Date
possibly 11th cent. BCE - 771 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/205034

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Greenish nephrite, decomposed and turning opaque and whitish
Dimensions
1.7 x 2.8 x 0.5 cm (11/16 x 1 1/8 x 3/16 in.)
unspecified: 2 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. 268 by Max Loehr:

268 Small Bird Figure
Greenish jade that has largely decomposed, turning opaque and whitish. The artlessly shaped bird figure is distinguished by a peculiar, small striated crest and by wings carved in the round, which jut out on both sides of the otherwise flat piece. The short, striated tail feathers, and an incised ornament like a rinceau with spirals on the body remove this sculpture further from the preceding types. The leg of the bird and the head also look unusual. Western Chou(?).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.230
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. 268, p. 198

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