Object: Pendant in the form of a female dancer S2012.9.1130

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE-9 CE

Object Date: 206 BCE-9 CE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 6.3 x 3.2 x 0.4 cm (2 1/2 x 1 1/4 x 3/16 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: 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

Collection: Arthur M. Sackler Collection

Accession Number: S2012.9.1130

: 女舞人佩
西漢（公元前206-公元9年）
中國
軟玉
高6.3、寬3.2、厚0.4釐米
史密森博物學院亞瑟·M·賽克勒美術館保羅·辛格中國藝術收藏品；亞瑟·M·賽克勒基金會，保羅·辛格，AMS基金會，及亞瑟·M·賽克勒子女聯合贈送
器物編號：S2012.9.1130

Provenance: ?-1997
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997), method of acquisition unknown [1]

1997-1999
In the custody of Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon death of Paul Singer and establishment of a loan agreement [2]

From 1999
The National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, by gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler [3]

Notes:

[1] The collection of Chinese art and antiquities assembled by Dr. Paul Singer over time was purchased by him on behalf of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler, Jillian Sackler, The Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences and Humanities and later was transferred to the children of Dr. Arthur M. Sackler.

[2] The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art came into the custody of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997. See loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, February 1997, copy in collection accession files. In March 2023, the museum's legal name changed to National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution.

[3] The entirety of the Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art formally accessioned in 2012. See the Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art gift agreement, March 1999, copy in collection accession files. The work is part of the Museum’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection.

Research updated on June 12, 2024.

Previous owner(s): Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) "Jewelry" added as secondary classification.
2. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 26, 2022) Classification changed from "Sculpture" to "Jewelry and Ornament"; changed Object Name from "Figure: dancer" to "Pendant"; changed Period One from "Eastern Zhou dynasty" to "Western Han dynasty"; Date changed from "1st-2nd century" to "206 BCE-9 CE"; Title changed from "Female dancer" to "Pendant in the form of a female dancer"; added Unpublished Research by Jenny F. So; and added Chinese caption.
3. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, August 2, 2022) Medium changed from Jade to Jade (nephrite).

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 743) for S2012.9.1130 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--90); by Jenny F. So
Female Dancer
Eastern Han 漢 dynasty, 1st--2nd century CE
Jade
Height 6 cm (2 3/8 in)
A thin plaque of pale olive-green jade with brownish green patches is worked in the form of a female dancer. She is presented in the conventional Han 漢 dancing pose with hips swayed to the side and one arm, completely draped in a long sleeve, raised over the head. The other arm is slightly bent at the side with the full sleeves cascading to the floor. Her ankle length robe is wrapped and tied at the waist at the side. Details of the robe are described with incised lines, circlets, and short, furlike strokes. Her hair is short and straight, and her facial features are simply incised.
Clearly it is the dancer and lyrical pose that matter in this representation and not the character of the figure. A small hole is pierced at the top of the head. The plaque is decorated identically on both sides. This plaque may be typical of Han 漢 examples in pose and subject but not in quality. Similar examples excavated from Western and Eastern Han 漢 burials display a wide range of quality. [1] Finely crafted plaques like the present example are not common.
[1] See for example, Ding xian bowuguan 定縣博物館, "Hebei Ding xian 43 hao Hanmu fajue jianbao 河北定縣43號漢墓發掘簡報," Wenwu 文物 1973.11, pl. 4:2; Beijing shi gumu fajue bangongshi 北京市古墓發掘辦公室, "Dabaotai Xihan muguomu fajue jianbao 大葆台西漢木槨墓發掘簡報," Wenwu 文物 1977.6, p.27, fig. 13; Laixi xian wenhuaguan 萊西縣文化館, "Laixi xian Dongjiazhuang Xihan mu 萊西縣董家莊西漢墓," Wenwu ziliao congkan 文物資料叢刊 9 (1985) , pl. 11: 3.

Published References: Published References are currently unavailable.

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