Pendant in the form of a notched disk with pairs of dragons

• 1. (Undated Folder Sheet note) According to tradition, King Wu 武, the first ruler of the Zhou 周 dynasty, captured a large number of jade pieces from the Shang 商 palaces following his conquest of the last Shang 商 ruler at the battle of Muye 牧野, ca. 1050 BCE. It is also believed that following the conquest many of the Shang 商 artisans were moved to the new Zhou 周 capital at Luoyang 洛陽, Henan 河南 province, where they continued to produce art objects of high quality. The elegant proportions of the Sackler jade disk demonstrate that there was no diminution of quality in the transition from the Shang 商 to the Zhou 周 dynasty. 

  2. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 29, 2008) Jewelry and Ornament added as secondary classification.
   
  3. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, June 17, 2010) Nephrite added as modifier to existing medium of "jade" based on conservation analysis.

  4. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, November 15, 2019) Title changed from "Ritual disk (bi)" to "Pendant in the form of a notched disk with pairs of dragons"; Date changed from "ca. 10th century BCE" to "ca. 1050-ca. 850 BCE"; Object name changed from "Pendant" to "Jewelry"; Geography changed from "Luoyang, China" to "China"; added Chinese Caption by Jingmin Zhang; replaced the following from the Description field, "Ornamental disk, notched disk" and added "Fashioned of evenly light tan jade, this sturdy disk is an impressive example of early Western Zhou 周 craftsmanship and design. Four evenly spaced rectangular notches divide the disk into quadrants that coincide with the design of the pair of elongated dragons decorating both sides of the piece. The dragons are presented in profile, with the head, horns, and front legs appearing in one quadrant and the extended, curling tail in the second quadrant. These dragons are executed in diagonal cuts and incised lines, with an emphasis upon long, flowing curves that parallel the decoration found on contemporary bronze ritual vessels. (Three old chips/indentations/depressions have been polished over; one vein crack from inner to outer edge; one area of cracking at vein on outer edge; several other vein flaws.)"

  Added Past Label Text from the exhibition, In Praise of Ancestors; and added unpublished research by Thomas Lawton.

  
  

Draft entry for S1987.464 for proposed Freer|Sackler collections handbook, August 15, 2001; by Thomas Lawton
Jade ring
Western Zhou 周 dynasty, 10th century BCE
Diameter 11.4 cm

Two elongated dragons decorate both sides of this jade ring. Four evenly spaced rectangular notches divide the ring into quadrants that coincide with the decoration on the flat surfaces. The dragons are presented in profile, their heads, horns, and front legs appear in the first quadrant and their extended, curling tails in the second quadrant. The Chinese artist articulated the forms with diagonal planes and incised lines, with an emphasis on long, flowing curves that parallel the decoration found on contemporary bronze ritual vessels, signaling a dramatic change from the angular dragons that appear on earlier Shang dynasty jades and bronzes.

• et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 54, p. 98.
• J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .