Object: Bead with dragon spirals S1987.546

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 850-ca. 771 BCE

Object Date: ca. 850-ca. 771 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 5.5 x 2.5 x 2.2 cm (2 3/16 x 1 x 7/8 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.546

: 螺旋龍紋珠
西周（公元前850-771年）
中國
軟玉
高5.5、寬2.5、厚2.2釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.546

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
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 #521: "flared hoof-...band in spiral grey-brown," 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: Bead; flared cylinder, slightly ovoid; engraved with spiral dragon band; translucent gray-tan. (Large flaw—pits; some calcification; chips one end.)

Past label text: 1. (In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987–January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton (shown with S1987.674, S1987.464, S1987.931, S1987.692, S1987.565, S1987.628, S1987.534, S1987.478, S1987.481, and S1987.516)).

Tubular Ornament (Shi 飾)
8th century BCE
Western Zhou 周 dynasty
China
Jade

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) Jewelry added as secondary classification.
2. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 13, 2020) Title changed from "Tubular Ornament (shi)" to "Bead with dragon spirals"; Date changed from "8th century BCE" to "ca. 850-771 BCE"; added Chinese Caption by Jingmin Zhang; added the following to the Description field, "Bead; flared cylinder, slightly ovoid; engraved with spiral dragon band; translucent gray-tan. (Large flaw—pits; some calcification; chips one end.)"
Added Label Text from the exhibition, In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987--January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton; and Object name changed from "Bead" to "Ornament".

Published References

J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .

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

Bead with dragon spirals

Related Objects

Web Resources