Jades for Life and Death

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Historical period(s): Late Neolithic period, ca. 2000 BCE

Object Date: ca. 2000 BCE

Medium: Calcite (marble)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 27.6 x 5.7 x 2.4 cm (10 7/8 x 2 1/4 x 15/16 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S1987.890

: 斧
新石器時代晚期（公元前5000--1700年）
中國
方解石（大理石）
高27.6、寬5.7、厚2.4釐米
亞瑟 M. 賽克勒基金會贈送
器物編號：S1987.890

Provenance: ?
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997) [1]

?-1978
Denise Sackler [2]

1978-1987
The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, gift of Denise Sackler in 1978 [3]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation

Notes:

[1] The dealer number is listed as S1. This is a Paul Singer number, copy in object file.

[2] See letter from Denise Sackler to the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation from December 21, 1978, copy in object file.

[3] See note 2.

Previous owner(s): Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)
Denise Marika (born 1955)
Arthur M. Sackler Foundation (founded 1965)

Past label text: 1. In Praise of Ancestors, September 28, 1987--January 5, 1989; by Thomas Lawton (shown with S1987.916 and S1987.722; additional jade jewelry shown in same case)
Axe
Ca. 2000 BCE
China, Late Neolithic period
Jade

2. The Arts of China, November 19, 1990--September 7, 2014; by Jenny F. So (shown with S1987.452; additional jades of other types shown in same case)
Axe
China
Neolithic period, Yangshao 仰韶 culture
4th millennium BCE
Jade

The cultural context and date of undecorated jades like these, which come from Neolithic workshops in different parts of China, are often determined from their shapes, materials, and basic manufacturing techniques, such as cutting, drilling, and polishing. Large ceremonial axes, sliced precariously thin and polished to a high gloss, are typical products of the Longshan 龍山 culture of eastern China; the enigmatic, asymmetrical tube is characteristic of the finds from the Hongshan 紅山 culture in the north and northeast.

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 8, 2008) Tool and Equipment added as secondary classification

2. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, April 20, 2010) Object name changed from "Axe (fu 斧)" to "Ceremonial object."

3. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, June 17, 2010) Medium changed from "Jade" to "Calcite (marble)" based on conservation analysis.

Published References

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

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Axe (fu 斧)

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