Jades for Life and Death

Classification: Ceremonial Object

Historical period(s): Late Neolithic period, ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE

Object Date: ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE

Medium: Jade (nephrite)

Dimension(s): H x W x D: 7.9 × 7 × 7 cm (3 1/8 × 2 3/4 × 2 3/4 in) Diam (hole): 6.1 cm (2 3/8 in)

Origin: China

Credit Line: Gift of Charles Lang Freer

Collection: Freer Gallery of Art Collection

Accession Number: F1919.45

: 琮
新石器時代晚期（公元前5000--1700年）
中國
軟玉
高7.8、寬7、厚7釐米
查爾斯·蘭·佛利爾贈送
器物編號： F1919.45

Provenance: Reportedly excavated at Sianfu, Shensi [1]

Duanfang (1861-1911) [2]

To 1919
You Xiaoxi (late 19th-early 20th century), Shanghai to 1919 [3]

1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from You Xiaoxi, in New York in 1919 [4]

From 1920
Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [5]

Notes:

[1] Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record states: "Said to have been in the collection of Viceroy Tuan Fang and excavated in Hsi-an, Shansi."

[2] See note 1.

[3] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 1423, pg. 339, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[4] See note 3.

[5] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.

Previous owner(s): Duanfang 端方 (1861-1911)
You Xiaoxi 游篠溪 (C.L. Freer source) (late 19th-early 20th century)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)

Description: Squared, hollow cylinder of the type ts'ung [cong] 琮, projecting collar at both ends; semitranslucent, pale green and pale pinkish cream. (Cracks and chips.)

Acquired with a box, now lost.

Curatorial Remarks

1. Bought from Seaouke Yue [You Xiaoxi] 游筱溪of Shanghai 上海, in New York. Said to have been in the collection of Viceroy Tuan Fang [Duanfang] 端方and excavated in Hsi an [Xi'an] 西安, Shansi [Shaanxi] 陝西. For price, see Original Miscellaneous List, p. 339. $150.

2. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Original attribution: Chinese. Chou [Zhou] 周. See further, S.I. 1423, Appendix IX.

3. (Undated Folder Sheet note) Sp. G. is 2.930. Soft material.

4. (Isabel Ingram Mayer, 1946) Ch'ing [Qing] 清 dynasty. Reproduction of Chou [Zhou] 周 type.

5. (Elisabeth West Fitzhugh, 1957) Nephrite. X-ray diffraction. Film F477.

6. (H. Elise Buckman, 1964) The Envelope File contained no further information and has now been destroyed.

7. (Thomas Lawton, 1978) Attribution has been changed from "Ch'ing [Qing] 清" to "Late Shang 商."

8. (Jeffrey Smith per Keith Wilson, July 17, 2008) Ceremonial objects added as secondary classification.

9. (Susan Kitsoulis per Keith Wilson, April 20, 2010) Object name changed from "Cong 琮" to "Ceremonial object." Title changed from "Cong 琮" to "Tube (cong 琮)."

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

11. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, August 2, 2017) Title changed from "Tube (cong)" to "Tube (cong 琮)"; Period One changed from "Shang dynasty" to "Late Neolithic period"; and Date changed from "ca. 1600-1050 BCE" to "ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE".

12. (Najiba Choudhury per Keith Wilson, July 27, 2018) Chinese Translation added; and Description changed from "Chinese
Late Shang. Squared, hollow cylinder of the type "ts'ung," projecting collar at both ends; semitranslucent, pale green and pale pinkish cream. Cracks and chips. Box." to "Squared, hollow cylinder of the type ts'ung [cong] 琮, projecting collar at both ends; semitranslucent, pale green and pale pinkish cream. (Cracks and chips.) Acquired with a box, now lost.".

Published References

J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .

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Tube (cong 琮)

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