Finial in the form of a bird

Historical period(s)
Anyang period, Forgery in the style of the late Shang dynasty, 20th century
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 11.8 x 8.2 x 1.2 cm (4 5/8 x 3 1/4 x 1/2 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Accession Number
F1940.2
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Ceremonial object: finial

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), bird, China, forgery
Provenance

Reportedly excavated in Anyang, Henan province, China [1]

From at least 1939 to 1940
C. T. Loo & Company, New York from at least November 4, 1939 [2]

From 1940
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from C. T. Loo & Company on February 21, 1940 [3]

Notes:

[1] Information provided by C. T. Loo, see John E. Lodge's curatorial remark, dated 1941, in object file.

[2] See "List of objects owned by C. T. Loo & Co., New York and [left] at the Gallery for examination," with an annotation that the piece was delivered by Loo on November 4, 1939, copy in object file.

[3] See C. T. Loo's invoice, dated February 21, 1940, copy in object file.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

C.T. Loo & Company 1914-1948

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Chung-kuo tiao su shih t'u lu. Chung-kuo mei shu shih t'u lu ts'ung shu Shanghai. vol. 1: p. 40.
  • Sueji Umehara. Kanan Anyo ibutsu no kenkyu [Study of Relics from Anyang]. Kyoto. pl. 24.
  • Sueji Umehara. Shina kogyoku zuroku [Selected Specimens of Chinese Archaic Jade]. Kyoto, 1955. pl. 87.
  • Sueji Umehara. Yin hsu: Ancient Capital of the Shang Dynasty at An-yang. Tokyo. pl. 141 (1).
  • Osvald Siren. Kinas Konst Under Tre Artusenden. 2 vols., Stockholm, 1942-1943. vol. 1: pl. 17.
  • Richard Ettinghausen, Ernst Kuhnel. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. 6 vols., London and New York, 1938 - 1939. .
  • Mizuno Seiichi. In Shu seidoki to tama [Bronzes and Jades of Ancient China]. Tokyo. pl. 77a.
  • Cheng Te-k'un. Archaeology in China. 3 vols., Cambridge, England. vol. 2: pl. 13b.
  • Grace Dunham Guest, Archibald Gibson Wenley. Annotated Outlines of the History of Chinese Arts. Washington, 1949. p. 6.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 29.
  • Dagny Carter. Four Thousand Years of China's Art. New York. p. 35 a, b.
  • Na Chih-liang. "玉器通史." Yu ch'i t'ung shih [A General Study of Chinese Jade]. Hong Kong, 1965. p. 63, fig. 81.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

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 Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use

Related Objects