Jades for Life and Death

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Eastern Zhou dynasty, 5th century BCE

Object Date: 5th century BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D (overall): 3.3 x 8.5 x 0.5 cm (1 5/16 x 3 3/8 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: S2012.9.1194

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. (Louise Fitzgerald Huber, draft entry for the Catalogue of the Singer Collection, 1970 - 1990?)

338
Huang
Eastern Zhou dynasty, 5th century B.C.
Jade
Chord 8.4 cm (3 5/16 in.)

The bilaterally symmetrical decoration of the segment is separated into two halves by a shallow trough across the center. The decor consists of widely spaced C curls in relief, which project outward along the edges, producing the notched silhouette. Between them, the stone is evenly ground away and embellished by faint, almost imperceptible designs of striated lines and finely engraved single curlicues. At either end of the huang, the C curls in relief appear to correspond to the features of two dragon heads, whose mouths are indicated by openings near the edges. The single perforation at the top center is the same size as those forming the dragons' mouths. The translucent, light green jade has fine creamy flecks throughout the stone. LFH

Published: Loehr 1965, no. 75; Rawson & Ayers 1975, no. 105.
2. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, August 2, 2022) Medium changed from Jade to Jade (nephrite).

Published References

Jessica Rawson, John Ayers. Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages: An Exhibit. Exh. cat. London. cat. 105, p. 48.

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