Jades for Life and Death

Classification: Jewelry and Ornament

Historical period(s): Western Han dynasty, 206 BCE-9 CE

Object Date: 206 BCE-9 CE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D (overall): 12.5 x 1.8 x 2.2 cm (4 15/16 x 11/16 x 7/8 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: S2012.9.1549

: 帶鉤
西漢（公元前206-公元9年）
中國
軟玉
高1.8、寬12.5、厚2.2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：S2012.9.1549

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. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, January 24, 2023) Changed Period One from "Han dynasty" to "Western Han dynasty"; Date changed from "206 BCE-220 CE" to "206 BCE-9 CE"; added Chinese translation by Jingmin Zhang; and added Unpublished Research by Max Loehr.

Unpublished Research: Draft catalogue entry (no. 765) for S2012.9.1549 for the catalogue of the Singer Collection (1970-1990); by Max Loehr
Garment Hook
Han 漢 dynasty (206 BCE-220 CE)
Jade
Length 12.4 cm (4 7/8 in)
The whitish jade with fine brown veins is fashioned as a garment hook with a hook like a horse's head. Rectangular in section, the body tapers toward the lower end. At the back sits an oblong button. The surfaces are smoothly polished and left plain

Published References: Published References are currently unavailable.

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Garment hook

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