1. (Undated Folder Sheet note) This jade has a long, thin, triangular blade and a narrow rectangular tang. The lower portion of the blade has been ground to a blunt cutting edge. Particularly noteworthy is the elaborate notched pattern that projects from the upper edge of the otherwise unembellished, geometric jade surface. The arrangement of the fragile notches in two distinct level enhances their aesthetic appeal while revealing nothing about their specific function. Textile impressions, clearly visible in the irregular, reddish stains on the surface of the jade blade, are all that remain of the finely woven cloth in which the piece was wrapped at the time it was buried in the ground.
Several blades of this same size and shape, fashioned of both jade and bronze, were found in the Shang 商 dynasty tomb 5 at Anyang 安陽, in Henan 河南 province, in 1976. The notches on those archaeologically attested artifacts project from the upper portion of the jade and bronze blades in an even pattern. Comparison of the jade and bronze blades from the royal tomb 5, which can be dated to ca. 1200 BCE, supports the view that the jade examples were intended as purely ceremonial versions of the lethal bronze weapons.
2. Exhibition In Praise of Ancestors label text; moved to label field.3. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 8, 2008) Weapon and Armament added as secondary classification.
4. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, April 2, 2010) Object name changed from "Weapon: knife" to "Ceremonial object."
5. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 21, 2017) Title changed from "Knife (dao)" to "Knife (dao 刀)"; Period One changed from "Shang dynasty" to "Late Shang dynasty"; Period Two added "Anyang period"; Geography changed from "China, Henan province, Anyang" to "China, probably Henan province, Anyang"; Date changed from "ca. 13th-11th century BCE" to "ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE"; Medium changed from "Jade" to "Jade (nephrite)"; Dimensions changed from "H x W x D: 25.7 x 5.4 x 0.5 cm (10 1/8 x 2 1/8 x 3/16 in)" to "H x W x D: 5.4 × 25.7 × 0.5 cm (2 1/8 × 10 1/8 × 3/16 in)".
6. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, February 15, 2019) Added Chinese translation by Jingmin Zhang; added the following to the Description field, "Knife blade with single cutting edge, curved to point; straight back with extended, elongated tang; double-level notches on top; opaque greenish-white. (Totally calcified; one nick on cutting edge; brownish surface substance [from textile?], mostly on one side; with red specks on this side [from number paint?].)" Added past Label Texts by Thomas Lawton from the exhibitions, In Praise of Ancestors and Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes.
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