1. Bought from Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪 of Shanghai 上海. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 230. $150.
2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Chou [Zhou] 周. See further, S.I. 1037, Appendix VIII.
3. (John Ellerton Lodge, 1940) Early Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty (?).
4. (Archibald Gibson Wenley, 1945) Shang 商 dynasty.
5. (Archibald Gibson Wenley, 1945) This implement seems to reflect some earlier specialized agricultural tool form. It was probably laterally hafted (see folder F1916.492), and bound to the haft on both sides of the blade, and over the chock like lateral projections. The jade form is of course ceremonial, and may be a badge of office, or a ritualistic implement used in some ceremony reflecting an agricultural rite or practice.
6. (Thomas Lawton, 1978) Attribution changed from Shang 商 to "Late Shang 商--Early Western Chou [Zhou] 周."
7. (Julia K. Murray, 1982) (Added chang [zhang] 璋 above ceremonial implement.) Chang [Zhang] 璋 F1916.491 is essentially a larger version of F1916.492; for a general discussion of jade chang [zhang] 璋, see the Folder Sheet for F1916.492. The perforation was bored from one side of the slab.
8. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, March 31, 2008) On this date entered: Period One (Late Neolithic period), Date (ca. 2500--2000 BCE), Artist (Qijia 齊家 culture), Title, Object name, Geographical region (Northwest China); plus Description per Jenny F. So and Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database.
9. (Stephen Allee, June 11, 2008) Added designation "nephrite" to Medium as per Wen Guang 聞廣 in June 1997, as determined by infrared spectroscopy.
10. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) Ceremonial object added as secondary classification.
11. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, June 10, 2010) Changed "Qija 齊家 culture" to "Longshan 龍山 culture"; "Northwest China" to "China"; date from "ca. 2500--2000 BCE" to "ca. 2000--1700 BCE."
The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The National Museum of Asian Art welcomes information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections..