Bracelet

1. Bought from Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪, of Shanghai 上海. Said to have been excavated in Shensi [Shaanxi] 陝西, and to have belonged to the Viceroy Tuan Fang [Duanfang] 端方. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 304.

2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Hsia [Xia] 夏. See further, S.I. 1327, Appendix VIII.

3. (Isabel Ingram Mayer, 1945) Chou [Zhou] 周 dynasty.

4. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Sp. G. is 2.908.

5. (Thomas Lawton, 1978) Attribution changed from Chou [Zhou] 周 to Neolithic.

6. (Julia K. Murray, 1980) Added "Traditional Shensi [Shaanxi] 陝西 provenance" to the attribution (on the basis of entry 1).

7. (Julia K. Murray, 1982) Bangles and rings are found in Neolithic remains in various parts of China, often made of polished stone or pottery in addition to jade. They seem to have served mainly as arm ornaments, and some were on the arm of the skeleton when unearthed. The name cho [zhuo] 鐲 is often given to those whose walls are tall enough to make them slightly tubular, while the name huan 環 tends to be applied to flatter, disklike rings. However, the term huan 環 is also loosely applied to the taller types of ring.

Subgroups within the category cho [zhuo] 鐲 include the following:
a) Bangles whose walls are straight and have a flat top and bottom (F1917.387, F1919.50, F1917.143, F1917.140, F1918.29, F1917.36, F1918.21, F1917.58, and F1917.139). Those classed as Neolithic display slight irregularity in the size and shape of the hole, and in the thickness of the wall.

b) Bangles with relatively thin and tall walls whose outer contour is slightly concave (F1919.46, F1917.385, F1918.46, and F1917.43). (The last named jade exhibits certain other features not found in the preceding three.)

c) Bangles with relatively short and thick walls whose outer contour is convex and whose inner surface is straight (F1919.49, F1919.48, F1917.391, F1917.386; and the archaistic F1912.19, F1917.388, F1911.452, F1914.40, F1912.20, F1911.453, and F1911.454). (The last five mentioned have decoration on the convex outer walls.)

Jade and other hardstone bangles of these types have been found at the following archaeological sites: Ts'ao hsieh shan [Caoxieshan] 草鞋山, Wu hsien [Wu xian] 吳縣, Kiangsu [Jiangsu] 江蘇 in level 8/9 as part of a Ma chia pang [Majiabang] 馬家濱 cultural complex, ca. 4th millennium BCE (Nanking po-wu-yuan [Nanjing bowuyuan] 南京博物院, "Kiangsu Wu-hsien Ts'ao-hsieh-shan i-chih [Jiangsu Wu xian Caoxieshan yizhi] 江蘇吳縣草鞋山遺址," Wen wu tzu liao ts'ung k'an [Wenwu ziliao congkan] 文物資料叢刊, no. 3, 1980, p. 23, fig. 70:11).

Ta hsi [Daxi] 大溪, Wu shan [Wushan] 巫山, Szechwan [Sichuan] 四川 in late stage tombs, ca. 4th millennium BCE (Szechwan Ch'ang-chiang liu-yu wen-wu pao-hu wei-yuan-hui wen-wu k'ao-ku-tui [Sichuan Changjiang liuyu wenwu baohu weiyuanhui wenwu kaogudui] 四川長江流域文物保護委員會文物考古隊, "Szechwan Wu-shan Ta-hsi hsin-shih-ch'i shih-tai i-chih fa-chueh chi-lueh [Sichuan Wushan Daxi xinshiqi shidai yizhi fajue jilue] 四川巫山大溪新石器時代遺址發掘記略," Wen wu [Wenwu] 文物 1961.11, p. 21, fig. 35, right [M6]; and Szechwan sheng po-wu-kuan [Sichuan sheng bowuguan] 四川省博物館, "Wu-shan Ta-hsi i-chih ti-san-tzu fa-chueh [Wushan Daxi yizhi disanci fajue] 巫山大溪遺址第三次發掘," K'ao ku hsueh pao [Kaogu xuebao] 考古學報 1981.4, pl. 8:9 [M140:19]).

Ta wen k'ou [Dawenkou] 大汶口, Chi nan [Jinan] 濟南, Shantung [Shandong] 山東, ca. 3rd millennium BCE (Shantung sheng wen-wu kuan-li-ch'u [Shandong sheng wenwu guanlichu] 山東省文物管理處 and Chinan shih po-wu-kuan [Jinan shi bowuguan] 濟南市博物館, Ta wen k'ou: Hsin-shih-ch'i shih-tai mu-tsang fa-chueh pao-kao [Dawenkou: Xinshiqi shidai muzang fajue baogao] 大汶口：新石器時代墓葬發掘報告 [Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1974], pl. 98:4 [M3:4, jade], and pl. 98:6 [M47:14, stone]; Ching chih chen 景芝鎮 [Jingzhi zhen], An ch'iu [Anqiu] 安丘, Shantung [Shandong] 山東, ca. 3rd millennium BCE (Wang Ssu-li [Wang Sili] 王思禮, "Shantung An-ch'iu Ching-chih chen hsin-shih-ch'i shih-tai mu-tsang fa-chueh [Shandong Anqiu Jingzhi zhen xinshiqi shidai muzang fajue] 山東安丘景芝鎮新石器時代墓葬發掘,"K'ao ku hsueh pao [Kaogu xuebao] 考古學報 1959.4, pl. 6:4--5 [two from M2], and pl. 6:3 [M7]).  

Chang ling shan [Zhanglingshan] 張陵山, Wu hsien [Wu xian] 吳縣, Kiangsu [Jiangsu] 江蘇, 3rd millennium BCE (Nanjing bowuyuan 南京博物院, Chūka Jinmin Kyōwakoku Nankin Hakubutsuin ten 中華人民共和國南京博物院展 = Art Treasures from the Nanjing Museum [Nagoya-shi: Nagoya-shi Hakubutsukan, 1981], cat. 22 [actinolite]).

Shih hsia [Shixia] 石峽, Ch'u chiang [Qujiang] 曲江, Kwangtung [Guangdong] 廣東, late 3rd--early 2nd millennium BCE (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. 29 [M59:39] and fig. 30 [M15:1, stone]).

A few jade bangles occur in Shang sites as well, chiefly Erh li t'ou [Erlitou] 二里頭, Yen shih hsien [Yanshi xian] 偃師縣, Honan [Henan] 河南, early 2nd millennium BCE (Chung-kuo k'e-hsueh-yuan k'ao-ku yen-chiu-suo Erh-li-t'ou kung-tso-tui [Zhongguo kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo Erlitou gongzuodui] 中國科學院考古研究所二里頭工作隊, "Honan Yen-shih i-chih 3, 8 ch'u fa-chueh chien-pao [Henan Yanshi Erlitou yizhi 3, 8 qu fajue jianbao] 河南偃師二里頭遺址三、八區發掘簡報," K'ao ku [Kaogu] 考古 1975.5, pl. 9:3); and Tomb no. 5 of Fu hao [Fu Hao] 婦好 at Anyang 安陽, Honan [Henan] 河南, 12th c. BCE (Chung-kuo she-huei k'e-hsueh-yuan k'ao-ku yen-chiu-suo [Zhongguo shehui kexueyuan kaogu yanjiusuo] 中國社會科學院考古研究所, Yin-hsu Fu Hao mu [Yinxu Fu Hao mu] 殷墟婦好墓 [Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1980], pl. 150).

The archaeological reports for some of the Neolithic sites, such as Shih hsia [Shixia] 石峽 and Ts'ao hsieh shan [Caoxieshan] 草鞋山, mention that varieties of stone geologically native to the respective regions were used in making these bangles, suggesting that many are not nephrite. It would be useful to test the Freer examples to determine whether any of them are made of the kinds of stone identified by the Chinese: Yang ch'i shih [yangqishi] 陽起石 (actinolite); kao ling yu [gaolingyu] 高嶺玉 (?); pai shih chih [baishizhi] 白石脂 (?); t'ou shan shih [toushanshi] 透閃石 (?); hsien wei she wen shih [xianwei shewenshi] 纖維蛇紋石 (fine grained serpentine); and huo shao yu 火燒玉 (burned jade).

Among the excavated bangles mentioned above, the stone examples from Ta wen k'ou [Dawenkou] 大汶口 (Shantung sheng wen-wu kuan-li-ch'u [Shandong sheng wenwu guanlichu] 山東省文物管理處 and Chinan shih po-wu-kuan [Jinan shi bowuguan] 濟南市博物館, Ta wen k'ou: Hsin-shih-ch'i shih-tai mu-tsang fa-chueh pao-kao [Dawenkou: Xinshiqi shidai muzang fajue baogao] 大汶口：新石器時代墓葬發掘報告 [Beijing: Wenwu chubanshe, 1974], pl. 98:6 [M47:14]) are most similar to the Freer's F1917.387, suggesting a date for the latter in the third millennium BCE.
 
Folder Sheets cross referenced to this are: F1919.50, F1917.143, F1917.140, F1918.29, F1917.36, F1918.21, F1917.58, F1917.139, F1919.46, F1917.385, F1918.46, F1917.43, F1919.49, F1919.48, F1917.391, F1917.386, F1912.19, F1917.388, F1911.452, F1914.40, F1912.20, F1911.453, F1911.454, F1978.44, F1916.387.

8. (Stephen Allee per Keith Wilson, February 29, 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.

9. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 1, 2008) Jewelry added as secondary classification.

10. (Jeffrey Smith per Janet Douglas, June 17, 2010) Nephrite added as modifier to existing medium of "jade" based on conservation analysis.