Object: Pendant in the form of a dragon S1987.874

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1250-ca. 1050 BCE

Object Date: ca. 1250-ca. 1050 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 9.9 × 8.5 × 0.5 cm (3 7/8 × 3 3/8 × 3/16 in)

Origin: China, probably Henan province, Anyang

Credit Line: Gift of Arthur M. Sackler

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.874

: 龍形飾
晚商安陽時期（公元前1250-1050年）
中國，疑似河南安陽市
軟玉
高9.9、寬8.5、厚0.5釐米
亞瑟·M·賽克勒贈送
器物編號：S1987.874

Description: This small dragon-shaped jade is presented in disk form. Only the head, with its gaping mouth, fangs, large eye, and reclining horn, reveals the dragon’s identity. A pattern of large hooks and spirals articulated in double lines covers the body. Extending along the outer edge of the jade, from the reclining horn to the pointed hook of the tail, is a regular crenelated pattern. (Mostly calcified; soil/cinnabar adhering; slight nick on tail; chip at suspension hole.)

Past label text: 1. (Keith Wilson, Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings, Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, February 25, 2023 to April 28, 2024)

Fitting in the form of a bird; Pendants: Dragon and Fish
Anyang period, ca. 1250–1050 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler S1987.841, S1987.874, and S1987.633

Pair of fish pendants
Anyang period, ca. 1250–1050 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
Purchase—Charles Lang Freer Endowment F1979.26–27

Disk, Bracelet, Miniature dagger-axe, and Axe pendant
Anyang period, ca. 1250–1050 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler S2012.9.228, S2012.9.230, S2012.9.275, and S2012.9.269

Round axe
Anyang period, ca. 1250–1050 BCE
Jade (nephrite)
Gift of Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer F1970.39

Objects Made for Reuse?
The dimensions, shape, and formal details of many Anyang jades indicate they were made from collared disks of the same time and place. Some were cut from segments of the disk while others exploited the central collar or the junction of the vertical and horizontal planes to create more interesting forms like projecting fins on a fish. The frequency and variety of this practice suggests collared disks may have been intended for reuse, functioning almost like an industrial blank. If true, this reflects a two-stage production process that valued speed, conservation of valuable material, and an interest in standardizing forms and scale.

Curatorial Remarks

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

2. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, June 24, 2010) Object name changed from "Pendant: dragon" to "Jewelry." Title changed from "Pendant (huang 璜): dragon" to "Pendant (huang 璜) in the form of a dragon."

3. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, May 2, 2018) Title changed from "Pendant (huang) in the form of a dragon" to "Pendant in the form of a dragon"; period one changed from "Shang dynasty" to "Late Shang dynasty"; period two added "Anyang period"; date changed from "ca. 11th century BCE" to "ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE"; geography changed from "China" to "China, probably Henan province, Anyang"; medium changed from "Jade" to "Jade (nephrite)"; object name changed from "Jewelry" to "Pendant"; added Chinese object caption by Jingmin Zhang; and added the following to the description field, "This small dragon-shaped jade is presented in disk form. Only the head, with its gaping mouth, fangs, large eye, and reclining horn, reveals the dragon's identity. A pattern of large hooks and spirals articulated in double lines covers the body. Extending along the outer edge of the jade, from the reclining horn to the pointed hook of the tail, is a regular crenelated pattern. (Mostly calcified; soil/cinnabar adhering; slight nick on tail; chip at suspension hole.)"
4. (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.

Published References

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

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Pendant in the form of a dragon

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