A jade pendant that is a long and narrow rectangle in shape and off-white in color with some red discoloration. There are small, curved lines throughout the piece that create swirling shapes.
Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
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Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College

The jade pendant is a long and narrow rectangle shape and shown vertically on a dark grey background. The pendant is off-white in color with some red discoloration. There are small, curved lines on the piece that create a regular swirling pattern throughout. The edges of the pendant are geometric and outline the carved pattern.

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
1943.50.126
Title
Oblong Jade Pendant
Classification
Ritual Implements
Work Type
pendant
Date
6th-5th century BCE
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Zhou dynasty, Spring and Autumn period, 770-476 BCE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/205195

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
Translucent, evenly white nephrite with traces of cinnabar
Dimensions
H. 11.7 x W. 2.7 x Thickness 0.9 cm (4 5/8 x 1 1/16 x 3/8 in.)
Weight 55 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. 372 by Max Loehr:

372 Oblong Pendant
Translucent, evenly white jade, fashioned into a tapering biconvex pendant with notched edges. Once side is decorated with a tightly organized relief pattern of dragon-headed serpents. The reverse side is covered with rows of dragons along the edges and _S_-shaped motifs down the center; the notched outer edges conform to the contours of these dragon heads and tails. A characteristic feature of the dragons is the use of striae as a texturing device, done, like the rest, with admirable precision. The pendant is perforated lengthwise. Traces of cinnabar are present on both sides. Early Eastern Chou.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.126
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. 372, p. 249
  • Jenny So, Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2019), pp. 228-9, 231, cat. 29A

Exhibition History

  • S427: Ancient Chinese Bronzes and Jades, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 10/20/1985 - 04/30/2008
  • Re-View: S228-230 Arts of Asia, Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 05/31/2008 - 06/01/2013
  • 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