Object: Pendant in the form of a dragon F1939.17

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): H x W x D: 7.8 x 3.2 x 0.4 cm (3 1/16 x 1 1/4 x 3/16 in)

Origin: China, probably Henan province, Jincun, purportedly found at Anhui province, Shou xian

Credit Line: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1939.17

: 龍形佩
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
高7.8、寬3.2、厚0.4釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾基金捐購
器物編號：F1939.17

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

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

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

Notes:

[1] The pendant traditionally was said to have been excavated in Anhui province, at Shou xian 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, 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)

Curatorial Remarks

1. Bought through C. T. Loo and Company, New York, NY 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) Specific gravity is 2.978. Nephrite.
4. (William B. Trousdale, 1964) Late Eastern Chou [Zhou] 周, or Warring States period. The Shou Chou [Shou xian 壽縣] provenance unverifiable, but reasonable.
5. (Undated Folder Sheet note) See F1932.40 and F1939.18.
6. (Thomas Lawton, Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C. [Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1982], cat. no. 82) Almost lost in the complex arrangement of curvilinear forms, a head and paw identify the leonine creature as the subject of the composition. Plumes rising from the creature's head, an extended dewlap, and a pointed tail emphasize pure abstraction rather than descriptive realism. The edges of the ornament are slightly raised, with incised outlines repeating many of the principal contours. A small perforation just above the creature's head was used for suspension. [1]
[1] For a brief discussion of the ornament, see Alfred Salmony, Chinese Jade through the Wei Dynasty (New York: Ronald Press, 1963), pl. 22:7.
7. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, June 23, 2008) As per Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, changed Date from "5th-4th century BCE" to "475-221 BCE." Added Previous Owner: Ex collection Zhang Naiqi, 1897-1977. Changed Object Name from "Pendant: dragon" to "Jewelry;" changed title from "Pendant" to "Pendant in the form of a feline dragon." Added Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database. Added "Reputedly Shouzhou [Shou xian 壽縣], Anhui 安徽 province, probably Jincun 金村, Henan 河南 province" to Geographical Location, Origin.
8. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) "Jewelry" added as secondary classification.
9. (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.
10. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, May 24, 2010) Changed Object Name from "Pendant: feline-dragon" to "Jewelry."
11. (Najiba Choudhury per Matthew Clarke, December 14, 2021) Medium changed from "Jade (nephrite?)" to "Jade (nephrite)".
12. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 4, 2022) Changed Object Name from "Jewelry" to "Pendant"; Title changed from "Pendant in the form of a feline-dragon" to "Pendant in the form of a dragon"; Geography changed from "Reputedly Shouzhou, Anhui province, probably Jincun, Henan province, China" to "China, probably Henan province, Jincun, but purportedly found at Anhui province, Shou xian"; and added Chinese translation.

Published References

Thomas Lawton. Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C. Washington, 1982-1983. cat. 82, p. 139.
Alfred Salmony. Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty. New York, 1963. pl. 22, no. 7.

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 dragon

Related Objects

Related Media

Web Resources