1. Bought from Lee Van Ching [Li Wenqing] 李文卿, of Shanghai 上海, in New York. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 263. $275.
2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Chou [Zhou] 周. See further, S.I. 1153, Appendix VIII.
3. (Archibald Gibson Wenley, 1945) Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty.
4. (Thomas Lawton, 1973) The following information was carved on the box in which this object arrived: "Chou chen-kuei [Zhou zhengui] 周鎮圭."
5. (Thomas Lawton, 1978) Late Shang 商--Early Western Chou [Zhou] 周.
6. (Julia K. Murray, 1982) For a general discussion of jade axes, see Folder Sheet F1918.35. The "semi circular boring on the upper edge" mentioned in the description of F1917.66 appears to be the remains of another hole, suggesting that this slab of jade was once larger. A very similar axe with the same partial hole at the butt is in the Chicago Art Institute (1950.511, reproduced in Alfred Salmony, Archaic Chinese Jades from the Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 1952), pl. LIII:5). Excavated axes of similar shape but made of ordinary stone, not jade, come from Neolithic remains at Shih hsia [Shixia] 石峽, Ch'u chiang [Qujiang] 曲江 Kwangtung [Guangdong] 廣東 (reproduced in Kwangtung sheng po-wu-kuan [Guangdong sheng bowuguan] 廣東省博物館 and Ch'u chiang hsien wen-hua-chu Shih-hsia fa-chueh hsiao-tsu [Qujiang xian wenhuaju Shixia fajue xiaozu] 曲江縣文化局石峽發掘小組, "Kwangtung Ch'u-chiang Shih-hsia mu-tsang fa-chueh chien-pao [Guangdong Qujiang Shixia muzang fajue jianbao] 廣東曲江石峽墓葬發掘簡報," Wen wu [Wenwu] 文物 1978.7, p. 15, fig. 42 [M42:2]) and at Sung tse [Songze] 崧澤, Ch'ing p'u [Qingpu] 青浦, Shanghai 上海 (reproduced in Huang Hsuan-p'ei [Huang Xuanpei] 黃宣佩 and Chang Ming-hua [Zhang Minghua] 張明華, "Ch'ing-p'u hsien Sung-tse i-chih ti-erh-tz'u fa-chueh [Qingpu xian Songze yizhi dierci fajue] 青浦縣崧澤遺址第二次發掘," K'ao ku hsueh pao [Kaogu xuebao] 考古學報 1980.1, p. 34, fig. 6:4 [M67:7]). It would seem then, that the jade axe F1917.66 might also belong to the Neolithic period rather than to Shang 商 or Western Chou [Zhou] 周.
7. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, February 8, 2008) On this date entered: Period One (Late Neolithic period), Date (3300--2250 BCE), Artist (Liangzhu 良渚 culture), Title, Object name, Geographical region (Lake Tai 太湖 region); plus Dimensions per Christine Lee, from Jade Project Database.
8. (Stephen Allee, June 11, 2008) Added designation "nephrite" to Medium as per Elisabeth West Fitzhugh in February 1956, as determined by x ray diffraction; and confirmed by Wen Guang 聞廣 in June 1997, as determined by infrared spectroscopy.
9. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) Ceremonial object added as secondary classification.
10. (Jeffrey Smith, April 4, 2016) Transferred from Description: Implement; axe-head shape, of the type "fu" or "yueh," slightly rounded blade edge. Mottled, translucent, bluish green and russet browns. Large circular perforation bored from both sides leaving median ridge; semicircular boring with median ridge on upper edge. Reverse has profuse earth incrustations. Corners chipped.
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