Object: Pendant in the form of a Dragon S2012.9.849

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE

Object Date: ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite) with traces of cinnibar

Dimension(s): H x W x D (overall): 2.5 × 7.3 × 0.6 cm (1 × 2 7/8 × 1/4 in)

Origin: China, probably Henan province, Anyang

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: S2012.9.849

: 龍形飾
晚商安陽時期（公元前1300-1050年）
中國，疑似河南安陽市
軟玉
高2.5、寬7.3、厚0.6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：RLS1997.48.3605

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. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, July 11, 2019) Title changed from "Dragon" to "Pendant in the form a Dragon"; Period One changed from "Western Zhou dynasty" to "Late Shang dynasty, Anyang period"; date changed from "11th century BCE" to "ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE"; Geography changed from "China" to "China, probably Henan province, Anyang"; Object name changed from "Pendant" to "Jewelry"; and added Chinese caption by Jingmin Zhang.

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 304) for RLS1997.48.3605 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--1990)
Dragon
Western Zhou 周 dynasty, 11th century BCE
Jade
Length 7 cm (2 3/4 in)
Traces of cinnabar adhere to the glossy surface of the translucent, light green jade. Engraved contours define the eye, bottle shaped horn, leg, and perforated tail. A pointed projection behind the curled up tail is shaped like a slender snail.

Published: Staten Island Museum, Animal Forms in Chinese Art (New York: Staten Island Museum, 1962), no. 14.

Published References

Animal Forms in Chinese Art. New York. no. 14.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .

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Pendant in the form of a Dragon

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