Object: Pendant in the form of a bird S1987.863

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

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

Object Date: ca. 1050-950 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 4 x 6.5 x 0.5 cm (1 9/16 x 2 9/16 x 3/16 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.863

: 鳥形飾
西周（公元前1050-950年）
中國
軟玉
高4、寬6.5、厚0.5釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.863

Provenance: To 1959
Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), Shanghai, China, London, England, Montreal, Canada, New York, NY, and Ridgefield, Connecticut [1]

From 1959 to 1963
Edna H. Bahr (d. 1978), United States and England, acquired by descent from her father, Abel William Bahr

From 1963 to 1987
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from Edna H. Bahr in 1963 [2]

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

Notes:

[1] According to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009.

[2] See #419 on list provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009, 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): Abel William Bahr (1877-1959)
Edna H. Bahr (1907-1986)
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)

Past label text: 1. (In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987–January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton. Shown with S1987.590, S1987.580, S1987.704, S1987.560, S1987.547, S1987.846, S1987.620, S1987.536, S1987.870, S1987.531, S1987.530, S1987.679, S1987.623, S1987.862, S1987.525, S1987.873, S1987.872, S1987.869, and S1987.544; additional bronzes shown in same case)
Pendant (Pei 珮)
11th–10th centuries 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) 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. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 20, 2019) Title changed from "Pendant (pei) in the form of a bird" to "Pendant in the form of a bird"; Date changed from "11th-10th century BCE" to "ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE"; added the following to the Description field, "Identically worked on both sides, the animal is a composite of curves. The splendid crest, the wings that start from a spiral, the tail, legs, and spiral appendages at the chest and below the body are all carved in slanting planes that give almost an impression of striation. The stone is dark green with buff inclusions and cinnabar adheres. (Sticky surface adhesion on top; soil adhering within carved recesses; good condition)."
Object name changed from "Pendant" to "Jewelry".

Published References

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

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Pendant in the form of a bird

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