Object: Ancestor tablet with bird and dragon S2012.9.1362

Classification: Ceremonial Object

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 (overall): 7.1 x 2.9 x 0.5 cm (2 13/16 x 1 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: S2012.9.1362

: 龍鳥紋柄形器
西周（公元前1050-950年）
中國
軟玉
高7.1、寬2.9、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：RLS1997.48.3671

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): George Aristedes Eumorfopoulos (1863-1939)
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997)

Curatorial Remarks

1. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 29, 2008) Jewelry and Ornament added as secondary classification.
2. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 28, 2020) Title changed from "Ornate plaque" to "Ancestor tablet with bird and dragon"; Date changed from "11th-10th century BCE" to "ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE"; added Chinese caption by Jingmin Zhang; Object Name changed from "Ornament" to "Ceremonial object"; and added Unpublished Research by Max Loehr.

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 312) for RLS1997.48.3671 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--90); by Max Loehr
Ornate Plaque
Western Zhou 周 dynasty, 11th--10th century BCE
Jade
Length 7 cm (2 3/4 in.)

The biconvex, sturdy, bone colored jade is identically engraved on both sides with a design of a bird above what seems to be a dragon. The excellent Western Zhou 周 style design is executed in slanting cuts and double outlines.
The plaque was formerly in the collection of George Eumorfopoulos.

Published References

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

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Ancestor tablet with bird and dragon

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