Object: Pendant in the form of a dragon with incised irregular curls S2012.9.1352

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Warring States period, Eastern Zhou dynasty, 475-221 BCE

Object Date: 475-221 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D (overall): 1.5 x 13 x 0.5 cm (9/16 x 5 1/8 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: S2012.9.1352

: 凹面不規則谷紋龍形佩
東周戰國時期（公元前475--221年）
中國
軟玉
高1.5、寬13、厚0.5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：S2012.9.1352

Provenance: At least from 1935
Huang Jun (1888–1944), Beijing, China [1]

As late as 1990 to 1997
Dr. Paul Singer, Summit, NJ [2]

From 1997 to 1999
In the custody of Arthur M. Sackler Gallery upon Paul Singer’s death in January 1997 and loan agreement
between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the Gallery in February 1997 [3]

From 1999
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 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 [4]

Notes:

[1] Object published in Huang Jun, Zunguzhai guyu tulu (Shanghai: Shanghai guji chubanshe, 1990), p. 179. This book reprints a text originally published in 1935.

[2] Included in the draft for the catalogue of the Singer Collection, written between 1970 and 1990, see object file, Collections Management Office.

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

[3] 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 and a loan agreement between the Executors of the Singer Estate and the
Gallery in February 1997.

[4] See “The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art Gift Agreement,” March 1999, Collections Management Office. The object was formally accessioned into the museum collection in 2012.

Previous owner(s): Huang Jun 黃濬 (1888-1944)
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, December 29, 2021) Added "Warring States period" as Period Two; Title changed from "Dragon with undulating body" to "Pendant in the form of a dragon with incised irregular curls"; Object Name changed from "carving" to "pendant"; Date changed from "5th-4th century BCE" to "475-221 BCE"; added Chinese translation; and added Unpublished Research by Huber.
2. (Jeffrey Smith per Matthew Clarke, August 2, 2022) Medium changed from Jade to Jade (nephrite).
3. (Jeffrey Smith, May 8, 2024) Classification changed from "Sculpture" to "Jewelry and Ornament."

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 343) for S2012.9.1352 for the catalogue of the Singer Collection (1970-1990); by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber
Dragon with Undulating Body
Eastern Zhou 周 dynasty, 5th-4th century BCE
Jade
Length 13 cm (5 1/8 in)
Issuing from behind the dragon's head, the long, undulating body without limbs recalls that of a serpent. The body progressively narrows from beginning to end, at which point it branches into a graceful forward pointing hook and a broader extension with a blunt tip. A dense pattern of irregular curls, bordered along the outer edge by a narrow, plain margin covers the body. The head, which is free of these curls, is depicted with a long, curled snout, a pointed ear, and an open mouth formed of a narrow slot connected to a circular perforation. Following the S shaped contour of the snout and mouth is a striated, ropelike band. Halfway along the body is a conical suspension hole. The jade is translucent, bluish green with sparse brown spots.
A pair of dragon figures of this same type was unearthed from a late Warring States burial at Changtaiguan 長台關, Xinyang 信陽, Henan 河南 province. [1]
Published: Huang Jun 1935, 1: 37b.
[1] Wenwu cankao ziliao, no. 9 (1957): 24, fig. 10.

Published References: Published References are currently unavailable.

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Pendant in the form of a dragon with incised irregular curls

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