Object: Ancestor tablet with bird S1987.692

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Historical period(s): Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE

Object Date: ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 6.2 x 2.7 x 0.3 cm (2 7/16 x 1 1/16 x 1/8 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.692

: 鳥紋柄形器
西周（公元前1050-950年）
中國
軟玉
高6.2、寬2.7、厚0.3釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.692

Provenance: To 1963
J. T. Tai & Co., New York, New York [1]

From 1963 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from J. T. Tai & Co., New York, New York in 1963 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] J. T. Tai's stockcard no. YT-970, according to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation on October 9, 2009.

[2] See Tai's invoice dated X/15/63, 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): J. T. Tai & Co. (established in 1950)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

Description: Plaque; irregular rectangular outline, carved (beveled) bird; opaque tans. (Calcified; brown substance on surface; minor nicks.)

Past label text: 1. (In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987–January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton (shown with S1987.674, S1987.546, S1987.931, S1987.534, S1987.565, S1987.516, S1987.628, S1987.478, S1987.481, and S1987.464))

Pendant (Pei 珮)
10th century BCE
Western Zhou 周 dynasty
China
Jade

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) Ceremonial object added as secondary classification.

2. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, April 20, 2010) Object name changed from "Handle" to "Ceremonial object." Title changed from "Ornament (shi 飾)" to "Ancestor tablet."

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, January 31, 2020) Title changed from "Ancestor tablet" to "Ancestor tablet with bird"; Date changed from "10th century BCE" to "ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE"; added Chinese Caption by Jingmin Zhang; added Past Label Text from the exhibition, In Praise of Ancestors by Thomas Lawton.
Added the following to the Description field, "Plaque; irregular rectangular outline, carved (beveled) bird; opaque tans. (Calcified; brown substance on surface; minor nicks.)"

Published References

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

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Ancestor tablet with bird

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