Object: Finial (?) in the form of a standing bird S1987.677

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Maker(s): Artist: Shijiahe culture 石家河 (ca. 2500-ca. 2000 BCE)

Historical period(s): Late Neolithic period, ca. 2500 - 2000 BCE

Object Date: ca. 2500 - 2000 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 9.5 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm (3 3/4 x 1/2 x 1/2 in)

Origin: China, Middle Yangzi valley, Hubei province

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.677

: 立鳥形笄首
新石器時代晚期石家河文化（公元前2500--2000年）
中國長江流域中段，湖北省
軟玉
高9.5、寬1.3、厚1.3釐米
亞瑟 M. 賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.677

Description: Handle, peg-shaped, carved owl on one end, tapered to bottom; drilled near center front to back; opaque mottled greens. (Calcified partially [?]; deposits.)

Past label text: 1. In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987–January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton (additional jades of other types shown in same case)
Handle (Bing 柄)
13th–11th centuries BCE
Shang 商 dynasty
Jade

2. Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes, October 1, 1989–September 10, 1990; by Jenny F. So
Bird pin (Niao bang 鳥棒)
Shang 商 dynasty, ca. 1200 BCE
Jade

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Undated Folder Sheet note) A bird almost identical to S1987.930 is carved from a dark gray-green cylinder of jade. Narrow ridges terminating in tiny hooks define similar wings. The wings characteristic of these three carvings (S1987.589, S1987.930, and S1987.677) may be indicative of a regional school. The eyes of the bird described here are formed by incised lines, while claws are shown in relief. The beak is firmly hooked.

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" to "Jewelry."

4. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 17, 2016) Added Shijiahe culture; period changed from "Shang dynasty" to "Late Neolithic period"; date changed from "ca. 13th-11th century BCE" to "ca. 2500-2000 BCE"; geography added "China, Middle Yangzi valley, Hubei province"; added description and past label text; title changed from "Finial in the form of a standing bird" to "Finial (?) in the form of a standing bird".

Published References

Joan Hartman-Goldsmith. Chinese Jade Through the Centuries. New York, 1968-1969. No. 27.
Dr. Paul Singer. Chinese Art: A Thousand Masterpieces from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Washington, 2000. cat. 131, p. 125.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Fang Gu. Yuqi shidai: Meiguo bowuguan cang Zhongguo zaoqi yuqi [The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums]. Beijing, 2009. pp. 142-143.

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Finial (?) in the form of a standing bird

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