Pendant in the form of a bird

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1300-1050 BCE

Object Date: ca. 1300-1050 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 3.5 x 3.4 x 0.6 cm (1 3/8 x 1 5/16 x 1/4 in)

Origin: China, Probably Henan province, Anyang

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.560

Past label text: In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987–January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton (shown with S1987.590, S1987.580, S1987.870, S1987.704, S1987.547, S1987.846, S1987.620, S1987.536, S1987.862, S1987.531, S1987.530, S1987.679, S1987.623, S1987.863, S1987.525, S1987.873, S1987.872, S1987.869, and S1987.544; additional bronzes shown in same case)
Pendant (Pei 珮)
11th 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. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, June 15, 2010) Title changed from "Pendant (pei 珮): Bird" to "Pendant in the form of a bird"; Object name from "Pendant: bird" to "Jewelry."

3. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, June 17, 2010) Nephrite added as modifier to existing medium of "jade" based on conservation analysis.
4. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, September 13, 2019) Period and dates changed from "Western Zhou dynasty, 11th century BCE" to "Late Shang dynasty, Anyang period, ca. 1300-1050 BCE." China, probably Henan province, Anyang.

Published References

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

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