1. (Jenny F. So, October 18, 1996) Changed media from "jade" to "opaque grayish white jade with gray streaks and red cinnabar," changed subject from "Pendant (pei 佩)" to "Bird."
2. (Jenny F. So, October 18, 1996) Many Shang 商 jade pendants of birds in flight show a similar triangular shape, but this example stands out in its unusual size and chunky proportions. Though blocky and simply shaped, this piece is clearly treated as three dimensional sculpture in the way the designs continue from the top of the wings onto the sides.
3. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) Jewelry added as secondary classification.
4. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, May 4, 2010) Title changed from "Pendant: bird" to "Bird-shaped pendant." Object name from "Pendant: bird" to "Jewelry." Deleted "and cinnabar" from medium description.
5. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, June 17, 2010) Nephrite added as modifier to existing medium of "jade" based on conservation analysis.
6. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, May 9, 2018)" Title changed from "Bird-shaped pendant" to "Pendant in the form of a bird, probably reworked from a tube (cong 琮)"; 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. 1300-1050 BCE"; object name changed from "jewelry" to "Pendant"; added Chinese object caption by Jingmin Zhang; removed the following from the description field, "Opaque greyish-white jade with grey streaks and red cinnabar; carved."; added the following description, " Opaque grayish white jade with gray streaks and red cinnabar; carved. (Flaw in top of head; chips in wing tips, especially its left one; soil and cinnabar adhere.)"; and added past label text by Thomas Lawton.
7. (YinYing Chen per Keith Wilson, February 22, 2023)
Change date from "ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE" to "ca. 1250-ca. 1050 BCE."
Change date from "公元前1300-1050年" to "公元前1250-1050年" in the translation field.
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..
International Image Interoperability Framework