Object: Pendant in the form of a bird S2012.9.1361

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE

Object Date: ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 3.9 × 9.9 × 0.1 cm (1 9/16 × 3 7/8 × 1/16 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: S2012.9.1361

: 鳥形飾
西周（公元前1050-950年）
中國
軟玉
高3.9、寬9.9、厚0.1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：RLS1997.48.3658

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 Keith Wilson, July 29, 2008) Jewelry and Ornament added as secondary classification.
2. (J. Smith per Keith Wilson, 7/29/2008) Jewelry and Ornament added as secondary classification.
3. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 15, 2019) Title changed from "Curved bird silhouette" to "Pendant in the form of a bird"; Date changed from "10th century BCE" to "ca. 1050-950 BCE"; Medium changed from "Jade (nephrite)" to "Jade"; Object Name changed from "Ornament" to "Jewelry"; and added Chinese caption by Jingmin Zhang.

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 310) for RLS1997.48.3658 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970-1990); by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber
Curved Bird Silhouette
Western Zhou 周 dynasty, 10th century BCE
Jade
Chord 9.5 cm (3 3/4 in)

This elongated, curved bird figure is executed in simple, beveled cuts. Noteworthy are the large, circular eye and the two opposing curls of the crest and wing. A conical hole pierces the tip of the tail, and there is a smaller perforation at the breast. The olive-green jade is translucent and well preserved, with the exception of a crack running across the wings.

Published References

J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .

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Pendant in the form of a bird

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