Object: Finial in the form of a human hybrid S1987.480

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-771 BCE

Object Date: ca. 1050-771 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 5.7 x 2.2 x 1.2 cm (2 1/4 x 7/8 x 1/2 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.480

神人形飾
西周（公元前1050-771年）
中國
軟玉
高5.7、寬2.2、厚1.2釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.480

Provenance: To 1959
Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), Shanghai, China, London, England, Montreal, Canada, New York, NY, and Ridgefield, Connecticut [1]

From 1959 to 1963
Edna H. Bahr (d. 1978), United States and England, acquired by descent from her father, Abel William Bahr

From 1963 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from Edna H. Bahr in 1963 [2]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [3]

Notes:

[1] According to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009.

[2] See #231: "Human figure with bird body. Thick, grey," on list provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009, copy in object file.

[3] Pursuant to the agreement between Dr. Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.

Previous owner(s): Abel William Bahr (1877-1959)
Edna H. Bahr (1907-1986)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

Description: Human head pendant with incised bird body; pierced; translucent gray. (Deposits; otherwise good condition.)

Past label text: 1. (In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987–January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton (shown with S1987.841, S1987.518, S1987.640, S1987.535, S1987.882, S1987.532, S1987.524, S1987.677, S1987.519 and S1987.930))

Pendant (Pei 珮)
11th century BCE
Western Zhou 周 dynasty
China
Jade

This kneeling image has a human face and ears but birdlike wings and talons. It has been suggested that the figure might be a shaman.

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Thomas Lawton, 1987) Exhibition In Praise of Ancestors label text; moved to label field.

2. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) Jewelry added as secondary classification.

3. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, July 8, 2010) Object name changed from "Pendant: monster" to "Jewelry"; Title changed from "Pendant (pei 珮): monster" to "Pendant (pei 珮) in the form of a monster."

4. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, October 20, 2010) Title changed from "Pendant (pei 珮) in the form of a monster" to "Fitting in the form of a supernatural creature"; Object name from "Jewelry" to "Fitting"; Date changed from "11th century BCE" to "ca. 1050--771 BCE"; added to Medium "with traces of cinnabar."
5. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, February 3, 2020) Title changed from "Fitting in the form of a supernatural creature" to "Finial in the form of a human hybrid"; Medium changed from "Jade (nephrite) with traces of cinnabar" to "Jade (nephrite)"; added Chinese Caption by Jingmin Zhang; and Object name changed from "Fitting" to "Jewelry".
Added the following to the Description field, "Human head pendant with incised bird body; pierced; translucent gray. (Deposits; otherwise good condition.)"

Unpublished Research: Bird-man fitting or finial
Early Western Zhou 周 period, 1050--1000 BCE
Northwest China, middle Yellow river basin
Nephrite, translucent banded pale gray green
Height 5.70 cm; width 2.27 cm; maximum 1.24 cm thick
This is much smaller than the previous example (S1987.882) but comparably thick. It is considerably simpler in design, showing a large humanoid face over a bird-like body described by wing and tail feathers and a clawed leg. The claws below are pierced by a hole, presumably for attachment. The face is characterized by a flat nose and strong chin and jaws like the faces on S1987.860 and S1987.882. Its silhouette is more compact and smooth: there are virtually no excrescences or notches. Surface details are executed as slightly beveled incised lines.

Published References

John Johnston, Chan Lai Pik. 5000 Years of Chinese Jade. Exh. cat. San Antonio, Texas, 2011. cat. 26, p. 61.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
"全球化背景下考古學新前沿 : 解讀中國古代傳統." Quan qiu hua bei jing xia kao gu xue xin qian yan: jie du Zhongguo gu dai chuan tong [New Frontiers in Global Archaeology: Defining China's Ancient Traditions]. New York, 2008. p. 310.

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Finial in the form of a human hybrid

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