Forked blade (zhang 璋)

Ceremonial implement; very thin; one slightly convex side; lateral edge flares to a sharp concave end with uneven points; one lateral edge partly sharpened; lateral projection on each side above a perforated tang; rough longitudinal ridge on obverse; reverse has cutting irregularity on handle; translucent, mottled light and dark bluish gray. (Slightly chipped.)

Acquired with a box, now lost.

Maker(s)
Artist: Longshan culture 龍山 (ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 2000-1700 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 36.5 x 7.4 x 0.3 cm (14 3/8 x 2 15/16 x 1/8 in)
Geography
China, probably Shaanxi province, Shenmu Shimao
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1916.162
On View Location
Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: forked blade (zhang)

Keywords
China, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE)
Provenance

To 1916
Lai-Yuan and Company, New York, to 1916 [1]

From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919), purchased from Lai-Yuan and Company in 1916 [2]

From 1920
The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]

Notes:

[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 875, pg. 189, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.

[2] See note 1.

[3] 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) and Custodian(s)

Charles Lang Freer 1854-1919
Lai-Yuan & Company (C.L. Freer source) ca. 1915-April 1921

Description

Ceremonial implement; very thin; one slightly convex side; lateral edge flares to a sharp concave end with uneven points; one lateral edge partly sharpened; lateral projection on each side above a perforated tang; rough longitudinal ridge on obverse; reverse has cutting irregularity on handle; translucent, mottled light and dark bluish gray. (Slightly chipped.)

Acquired with a box, now lost.

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Geoffrey WIlls. Jade of the East., 1st ed. New York, 1972. fig. 22.
  • Guang Wen. Shuoqian zibi: Guyu xutan 1. no. 207 Taipei, 2000. pp. 32-33, fig. 6-7.
  • Minao Hayashi. Chūgoku kogyoku no kenkyū. Tokyo, 1991. p. 439, fig. 6: 2.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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