Object: Pendant in the form of a faceted ring F1939.8

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Warring States period, Eastern Zhou dynasty, 475-221 BCE

Object Date: 475-221 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): Diam x D: 8.3 × 0.4 cm (3 1/4 × 3/16 in) Diam (hole): 5.9 cm (2 5/16 in)

Origin: China, probably Henan province, Jincun

Credit Line: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1939.8

: 刻面環形佩
東周戰國時期（公元前475-221年）
中國，疑似河南金村，傳安徽壽縣出土
軟玉
直徑8.3、厚0.4釐米；孔徑5.2釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾基金捐購
器物編號：F1939.8

Provenance: 1928–1932
Purportedly discovered in archaeological site at Anhui province, Shou xian, China [1]

To 1939
Zhang Naiji (1899–1948), Shanghai, China, then New York, NY, from at least February 1939 [2]

From 1939
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased through C. T. Loo and Company, New York, from Zhang Naiji on April 17, 1939 [3]

Notes:

[1] The pendant traditionally is said to have been excavated in Shou xian, Anhui province based on information provided by Zhang Naiji to John Ellerton Lodge at the time of acquisition, see John Ellerton Lodge’s note, 1939, in F1939.6 object file.

[2] See object information sheet and “List of objects contemplated for purchase by Freer Gallery of Art,” approved on February 1, 1939, Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List file, copies in object file. According to an annotation on the list, the purchase was made from C. T. Loo and Company, New York, acting as agent for the owner and the payment was made on April 17, 1939.

Zhang Naiji (also known as N. C. Chang) was a businessman, born to a prestigious family in Zhejiang that made their wealth in the silk and salt industries. He collected ancient Chinese art objects and Chinese coins. Zhang amassed his collection whilst living in Shanghai, before leaving for America in 1938. Zhang did not return to China until 1946. While the earliest documentation of Zhang’s ownership of the jade dates to February 1939, we know that he acquired the objects in China before his departure.

[3] See “List of objects contemplated for purchase by Freer Gallery of Art,” cited in note 2.

Previous owner(s): Zhang Naiji 張乃驥 (1899-1948)
C.T. Loo & Company (1914-1948)
C. T. Loo 盧芹齋 (1880-1957)

Description: Narrow ring of translucent, mottled, grayish jade (nephrite?) with brown areas. Outer and inner margins beveled on both faces.

Curatorial Remarks

1. Bought through C. T. Loo and Co., New York, from Chang Nai chi [Zhang Naiji] 張乃驥. For price, see Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920.
2. (John Ellerton Lodge, 1939) See Folder F1939.6, Paragraph 2.
3. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Rings of this type are commonly called yuan 瑗 (see Folder F1939.14, Paragraph 3).
4. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Specific gravity is 3.030g. Nephrite.
5. (Julia Murray, 1980) Changed "Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty" to "Late Eastern, Warring States period."
6. (Thomas Lawton, Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C. [Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1982], cat. no. 130) The inner and outer edges of the grayish nephrite ring are beveled on both faces. Although rings of this type are sometimes described as bracelets, it is also possible that they originally formed parts of elaborate necklaces. [1]
The ring traditionally is said to have been unearthed at Shou chou [Shou xian] 壽縣, Anhui 安徽 province.
[1] Several jade and crystal ornaments, including rings with beveled edges of the type on the Freer example, were unearthed in tomb 1 at Lang-chia-chuang [Langjiazhuang] 郎家莊, Lin-tzu [Linzi] 臨淄, Shantung [Shandong] 山東 province (see Shangdong sheng bowuguan 山東省博物館, "Linzi Langjiazhuang yihao Dongzhou xunrenmu 臨淄郎家莊一號東周殉人墓," Kaogu xuebao 考古學報 1977.1, pls. 14--15).
7. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, June 18, 2008) As per Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, changed Date from "4th-3rd century BCE" to "475-221 BCE"; added Previous Owner: Zhang Naiqi [Zhang Naiji] 張乃驥, 1897--1977. Changed Object Name from "Disk (bi 璧)" to "Jewelry (pendant)"; changed Title from "Ritual disk, Bi 璧" to "Pendant in the form of a faceted ring." Added Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database.
8. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, June 23, 2008) Added "Reputedly Shouzhou [Shou xian] 壽縣, Anhui 安徽 province, probably Jincun 金村, Henan 河南 province" to Geographical Location, Origin.
9. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) "Jewelry" added as secondary classification.
10. (Stephen Allee, June 2, 2009) Corrected name of previous owner from Zhang Naiqi to Zhang Naiji 張乃驥 and added Chinese characters, as well as his life dates (1899--1948) and a brief biography.
11. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, July 9, 2010) Deleted "(pendant)" from Object Name.
12. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, July 8, 2022) Medium changed from "Jade (nephrite?)" to "Jade (nephrite)."
13. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 23, 2023) Geography Type Origin changed from "Reputedly Shouzhou, Anhui province, Probably Jincun, Henan province" to "China, probably Henan province, Jincun"; for Geography Type Provenance entered "China, purportedly found at Anhui province, Shou xian"; and added Chinese caption by Jingmin Zhang.

Published References

Thomas Lawton. Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C. Washington, 1982-1983. cat. 130, p. 176.

SI Usage Statement

Usage conditions apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections..

Save this image | Request Permission | Terms of use

Pendant in the form of a faceted ring

Related Objects

Related Media

Web Resources