Set of four plaques of dancers

• 1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) "Jewelry" added as secondary classification.

  2. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, August 2, 2022) Medium changed from Jade to Jade (nephrite).

  3. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, April 11, 2023) Title changed from "Set of four plaques of dancers" to "Set of four ornaments in the form of dancers"; Period One changed from "Eastern Han dynasty" to "Western Han dynasty"; Date changed from "1st-2nd century" to "206 BCE-9 CE"; added Chinese caption and Unpublished Research.

Draft catalogue entry (no. 744) for S2012.9.1310.1-4 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--90); by Jenny F. So
Set of Ornaments
Eastern Han 漢 dynasty, 1st--2nd century CE
Jade
Average height 4 cm (1 1/2 in)

These four openwork plaques were fashioned from identical thin, semi-translucent, yellowish jade to form two matched pairs. The first pair presents single dancers in the pose commonly found on late Eastern Zhou 周 and Han 漢  dancers: one arm, completely draped in a full sleeve, is raised well above the head, while the other draped arm  overlaps the front of the figure. Simple incised lines define the facial features and robe. The spaces between the  raised arm and head and the dropped arm and body are perforated in openwork. The second pair represents two  dancers in one plaque, in a symmetrical arrangement, each with one shoulder, sleeve, and leg meeting down the  center. The free leg of each figure is bent at the knee, and the free arm is raised above the head in a dancing  position similar to that of the first pair. Simple incised lines decorate both sides of this pair.

The four ornaments were once in the possession of the collector Duanfang 端方 (1861--1911). Inscriptions on the  original wood box, preserved intact with the jades, supply interesting glimpses into their history and fate. On the  lid of the box is engraved in large characters Han yu ren 漢玉人 ("Han jade figures") followed by Taozhai cang 陶齋藏 ("in the  collection of Taozhai 陶齋"). Taozhai 陶齋 is the name of Duanfang 端方' s studio. The following three characters indicate that  they were written by Mengan 猛庵 and engraved by Zuochen 左臣. Mengan 猛庵's proper name is Li Baoxun 李葆恂 (1859--1915),  and he was a good friend of Duanfang 端方. Properly known as Shen Lu*, Zuochen 左臣 was an engraver and close  contemporary of the other two men.

Other engravings on the cover record the names of three men who had seen and presumably admired these  plaques. They are Yang ZhongxI 楊鍾羲 (1865--1940), Jin Rongjing 金蓉鏡 (1856--1928), and Chu Yi 褚儀 (most likely, Chu Deyi 褚德彞  [1871--1942]), who indicated that he saw the jades in Wuchang 武昌, Hubei 湖北 province. These three men and Shen Lu  were natives of Zhejiang 浙江 province; they probably saw the jades in the years 1902--04, when Duanfang 端方 was acting  governor general of Huguang 湖廣.

 The last engraving is in larger characters and a slightly squarer script. It gives the cyclical date, which  corresponds to the period January 29--February 26, 1903, followed by the words, "in the collection of Igata  Tokuzo 鑄方德 of Japan." Presumably by this time the jades had left Duanfang 端方's collection and were in the possession of a Japanese collector. The names of two foreigners follow--"Gesehen, ['seen'] [in] Wuchang 武昌, 4.III.03 [by]  Ensinger [and] M. March." The date suggests that the two men saw the jades after they changed hands.

 It is rare for the collecting history of such small items of jade to be so well documented on their container. It is  further interesting to see in this history that jades were admired among intimate friends, who commemorated  these moments in much the same way as connoisseurs of painting commented on their enjoyment of the art in
 colophons and calligraphy.

*Zuochen 左臣 may instead refer to Huang Zuochen 黃左臣 (also called Huang Junfu 黄君復), who was a member of the staff of Duanfang 端方.