Object: Hand grip in the form of a pig S2012.9.833

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Historical period(s): Eastern Han dynasty, 25-220

Object Date: 25-220

Medium: Marble (calcite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D (overall): 3 x 11.7 x 2.5 cm (1 3/16 x 4 5/8 x 1 in)

Origin: China, Jiangsu province

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: S2012.9.833

: 豬形握
東漢（公元25-220年）
中國江蘇
大理石（方解石）
高3、寬11.7、厚2.5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：S2012.9.833

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 Matthew Clarke, August 2, 2022) Medium changed from Jade to Marble (calcite).
2. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, November 27, 2023) Title changed from "Pig" to "Hand grip in the form of a pig"; Object Classification changed from "Sculpture" to "Ceremonial Object"; Object Name changed from "Figure: pig" to "Hand grip"; Date changed from "early 1st-early 3rd century" to "25-220"; Geography changed from "China" to "China, Jiangsu province"; added Chinese caption by Jingmin Zhang; and added Unpublished Research by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber.

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 784) for S2012.9.833 for the catalogue of the Singer Collection (1970-1990); by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber
Pig
Eastern Han 漢 dynasty (25--220)
Marble
Length 11.5 cm (4 1/2 in)
Carved from a rectangular block of white marble, the pig is somewhat more realistically treated than the standard Han 漢 types and may represent a species local to the Jiangsu area, noted for its swayback and large ears. [1] The carefully described face shows a wrinkled snout with a pair of drill holes for nostrils and eyes shaped as diagonal beveled grooves with drill holes at the centers. There is a transverse perforation through the mouth and another at the back through the rounded ridge that serves as the tail. The stone is partly corroded but retains its original polished surface in some areas. A close counterpart to this object carved of soapstone was found at Xinzhuang 新莊, Taizhou 泰州, Jiangsu 江蘇. [2]
[1] Zhang Zhongge 张仲葛, "Chutu wenwu suojian woguo jiazhu pinzhong de xingcheng he fazhan 出土文物所见我国家猪品种的形成和发展," Wenwu 文物 1979.1, p. 84.

[2] Zhang Zhongge 张仲葛, "Chutu wenwu suojian woguo jiazhu pinzhong de xingcheng he fazhan 出土文物所见我国家猪品种的形成和发展," Wenwu 文物 1979.1, p. 88, fig. 18.

Published References: Published References are currently unavailable.

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Hand grip in the form of a pig

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