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A jade tablet that is long and narrow in shape and bright green in color with some dark green coloration. There are carved lines throughout the piece that outline curved figures. The edges of the tablet are irregular and flat.

The jade tablet is a long and narrow rectangular shape and shown vertically on a grey background. The tablet is bright green in color with some dark green coloration. There are carved curving lines throughout the piece that outline broad figures on top of each other. The edges of the tablet are irregular and flat.

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
1943.50.120
Title
Flat Jade Tablet Combining Anthropomorphic Figure and Animal Heads
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
ornament
Date
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/205167

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
Highly translucent, deep green nephrite with dark speckles
Dimensions
H. 11.8 x W. 2.4 x Thickness 0.3 cm (4 5/8 x 15/16 x 1/8 in.)
Weight 22 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. 243 by Max Loehr:

243 Flat Tablet Combining Anthropomorphic Figure and Animal Heads
Highly translucent, deep green jade with dark speckles. Identically engraved on both sides, the thin tablet shows the profile of a more or less human head, adjoining a dragon or feline head that faces downward. A similar animal head occupies the place corresponding to the shoulder and chest of the human figure, whose crouching legs appear below this animal head. The lowermost part sees to have no representational significance. It is noteworthy that while the silhouettes of the animal heads are clear and rhythmically drawn, the human profile is indistinct and timid. 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
1943.50.120
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. 243, p. 186

Exhibition History

  • 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