Object: Pendant in the form of an oval disk with human hybrids S2012.9.1050

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 (overall): 3.1 x 2.7 x 0.5 cm (1 1/4 x 1 1/16 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: S2012.9.1050

: 神人紋橢圓璧形飾
西周（公元前1050-950年）
中國
軟玉
高3.1、寬2.7、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：RLS1997.48.3699

Provenance: To 1952
David David-Weill (1871-1952), Paris and Neuilly-sur-Seine France, mode of acquisition unknown [1]

1952-1970
Flora Raphaël David-Weill (1878-1970), inherited upon death of her husband, David David-Weill [2]

1970-1972  
Descendants of David and Flora Raphaël David-Weill, inherited upon death of Flora Raphaël David-Weill in 1970 [3] 

1972
Sale, Sotheby & Co., The D. David-Weill Collection, Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Inlaid Metalwork, Gilt Bronzes and Silver, Jades, Sculpture and Ceramics, February 29, 1972 (London), lot 21 [4]

1972-1997
Dr. Paul Singer (1904-1997), Summit, NJ purchased through Mr. Payne at "D. David-Weill Collection Sale," on March 15, 1972 [5]

From 1997
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, bequeathed by Dr. Paul Singer [6]

Notes:

[1] David David-Weill's ownership indicated by the jade's inclusion in the 1972 Sotheby & Co. sale, see note 4.

David David-Weill (1871-1952) was an American-born, French banker and chairman of Lazard Frères, his family's bank headquartered in Paris. From 1925 to 1939 he was president of the council of French National Museums and, until 1938, the vice president of the Friends of the Louvre. David-Weill was a life-long, prolific collector, acquiring a broad range of objects including 18th-century French art, ancient Chinese bronzes and jades, silvers, and European and Chinese cloisonné. He lent 12 objects from his collection to International Exhibition of Chinese Art at the Royal Academy of London (1935-36) and several objects to the exhibition Arts de la Chine Ancienne at Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris (1937). During his lifetime, he donated numerous art works to French Museums. In 1937 David-Weill sold pieces from his European collection to Wildenstein & Company. During World War 2, Nazis plundered his collection and seized over 2000 objects, most of which were restituted after the War. Parts of David-Weill's collections were hidden and escaped Nazi seizure. It is unclear if this object was stolen by the Nazis. If it was, it was returned to David David-Weill after the War, as it was in the possession of his descendants through 1972.

[2] David David-Weill died on July 7, 1952 in Neuilly, France. His wife, Flora Raphaël David-Weill inherited the object.

[3] See note 3; upon death of Flora Raphaël David-Weill, a Sotheby sale was organized. It does not specify who collected the profits, but it was likely the family.

[4] See Sotheby & Co., The D. David-Weill Collection: Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Inlaid Metalwork, Gilt Bronzes and Silver, Jades, and Sculpture and Ceramics (London, February 29, 1972), lot 21.

[5] See letter from C.M. Payne to Dr. Paul Singer, 1 March 1972 and invoice from Sotheby & Co., London to Dr. Paul Singer, 15 March 1972, no. 21, page 1, copies in object file. C.M. Payne of the Sales Office at Sotheby & Co., London placed bids on behalf of Dr. Paul Singer at the February 1972 auction.

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

[6] Upon Paul Singer's death in January 1997, his collection was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery by order of the Executors of the Estate under a loan agreement signed on February 1997. Shortly thereafter, the Sackler Gallery was vested with full ownership and title to the collection in full agreement by the Sackler Foundations and Sackler family members. The formal accession of the Singer collection was completed in 2012.

Previous owner(s): David David-Weill (1871-1952)
Flora Raphaël David-Weill (1878-1971)
David-Weill Family
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, November 19, 2019) Title changed from "Oval plaque of intertwined dragon" to "Pendant in the form of an oval disk with human hybrids"; Date changed from "10th century BCE" to "ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE"; Medium changed from "Jade (nephrite)" to "Jade"; Object name changed from "Pendant" to "Jewelry"; and added Chinese Caption by Jingmin Zhang.

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 317) for RLS1997.48.3699 for the catalogue of the Singer collection (1970--1990); by Louisa Fitzgerald Huber
Oval Plaque
Western Zhou 周 dynasty, 10th century BCE
Jade
Maximum diameter 2.9 cm (1 1/8 in)

The surface around the central perforation is embellished by the finely detailed figures of two demons with long hair streaming upward from their heads. The carefully described faces are clearly human, but their bodies and limbs are less specific, and their legs terminate in curved talons. The two figures, who are diametrically opposite one another, with their backs along the outer perimeter of the disk, tumble in a somersault around the perforation at the center. Both sides of the plaque bear the same design. The surfaces of the translucent, olive green jade are polished to a glossy finish. Similar demon heads appear amid configurations of birds and dragons on jades of the same period. [1]

[1] See Alfred Salmony, Carved Jades of Ancient China (Berkeley, C.A.: Gillick Press, 1938), pl. 29: 5; Alfred Salmony, Chinese Jade through the Wei Dynasty (New York: Ronald press, 1963), pl. 13: 2.

Published References

Sotheby's. The D. David-Weill Collection: Catalogue of Early Chinese Bronzes, Inlaid Metalwork, Gilt Bronzes and Silver, Jades, and Sculpture and Ceramics. London, February 29, 1972. lot 21.
J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .

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Pendant in the form of an oval disk with human hybrids

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