Object: Pendant in the form of two dragons F1939.30

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE-9 CE

Object Date: 206 BCE-9 CE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 5.3 x 9.1 x 0.5 cm (2 1/16 x 3 9/16 x 3/16 in)

Origin: China, purportedly found at Anhui province, Shou xian

Credit Line: Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1939.30

: 雙龍形佩
西漢（公元前206-公元9年）
中國，傳安徽壽縣出土
軟玉
高5.3、寬9.1、厚0.5釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾基金捐購
器物編號：F1939.30

Provenance: 1931-1932
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] Traditionally, the pendant was said to have been excavated in Anhui province, 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 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)

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. The fracture and the loss of a few tiny chips occurred before we bought this object, but not anciently, I should think.
3. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Sp. G. is 2.954.
4. (William B. Trousdale, 1964) Late Eastern Chou [Zhou] 周, or Warring States Period. The Shou chou [Shou xian 壽縣] provenance is unverifiable, but reasonable. Highest quality workmanship.
5. (Thomas Lawton, Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C. [Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1982], cat. no. 90) A pair of rampant dragons flanking a cusped projection forms the theme of the composition. The extreme torsion of the dragons is emphasized by the flamboyant gestures of their legs and clawed feet. The rounded muscular bodies of the dragons also enhance the suggestion of pent up energy. By contrast, the curvilinear plumes that embellish the basically triangular contours of the pendant are purely decorative, lending an element of playful fantasy to the composition. Fine, curled motifs incised on the jade surface enrich the textural qualities of the elegantly reticulated piece; boldly worked serpentine motifs on the haunches of each of the dragons echo the striated curling tails. Two small perforations at the middle of the top and bottom edges of the pendant would have been used to suspend or to attach the piece.
The rich, irregularly patterned white and purplish gray color of the jade adds an unexpected yet appealing asymmetry to the composition. The piece has been broken and mended in three places. [1]
The pendant is said to have come from Shou chou [Shou xian 壽縣], Anhui 安徽 province. While there is no way to verify that provenance, it is reasonable.
[1] The Freer pendant has been illustrated and discussed by Alfred Salmony in Chinese Jade through the Wei Dynasty (New York: Ronald Press, 1963), pl. 24:3.
6. (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 "Double dragon plaque" to "Jewelry"; changed Title from "Ornament of white and opaque gray nephrite (broken in three and mended)" to "Pendant in the form of two facing dragons." Added Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database. Added "Warring States period" to Period Two. Added "Reputedly Shouzhou [Shou xian] 壽縣, Anhui 安徽 province, probably Jincun 金村, Henan 河南 province" to Geographical Location, Origin.
7. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) "Jewelry" added as secondary classification.
8. (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.
9. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, May 24, 2010) Changed Object Name from "Pendant: dragon" to "Jewelry."
10. (Najiba Choudhury, January 18, 2021) Period One changed from "Eastern Zhou dynasty" to "Western Han dynasty"; changed Title from "Pendant in the form of two facing dragons" to "Pendant in the form of two dragons"; Object Name changed from "Jewelry" to "Pendant"; Date changed from "475-221 BCE" to "206 BCE-9 CE"; Geography changed from "Reputedly Shouzhou, Anhui province, Probably Jincun, Henan province" to "Shou xian, purportedly from Anhui province, China"; and added Chinese caption.

11. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, July 8, 2022) Medium changed from "Jade (nephrite?)" to "Jade (nephrite)."

Published References

Thomas Lawton. Chinese Art of the Warring States Period: Change and Continuity, 480-222 B.C. Washington, 1982-1983. cat. 90, p. 144.
Alfred Salmony. Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty. New York, 1963. pl. 24, no. 3.
Simonetta De Vries. Recent Oriental Acquisitions by Museums. vol. 12, no. 2 New York, February 1940. p. 45, pl. 2.
Na Chih-liang. "玉器通史." Yu ch'i t'ung shih [A General Study of Chinese Jade]. Hong Kong, 1965. p. 48, fig. 60.
Chang Wen-chi. "中国玉器歷代史." Chung-kuo yu ch'i li tai shih. Hong Kong, 1978. p. 70.

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