Ornament (shi飾) with mask

Very light translucent greenish nephrite ornament mask. Carved in relief and incised. Reverse pierced with six holes for fastening, and a central hole running from top to bottom.

Maker(s)
Artist: Longshan culture 龍山 (ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 3000 - 1700 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 4.6 x 4.1 x 1.6 cm (1 13/16 x 1 5/8 x 5/8 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Purchase — Charles Lang Freer Endowment
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art
Accession Number
F1953.9
On View Location
Freer Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Ornament

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

To 1953
Alice Boney (1910-1988), New York. [1]

From 1953
Freer Gallery of Art, purchased from Alice Boney, New York. [2]

Notes:

[1] See Curatorial Remark 1 in the object record. See also Freer Gallery of Art Purchase List after 1920 file, Collections Management Office.

[2] See note 1.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Alice Boney 1901-1988

Description

Very light translucent greenish nephrite ornament mask. Carved in relief and incised. Reverse pierced with six holes for fastening, and a central hole running from top to bottom.

Label

The face of this ornament resembles the relief versions on the chisel (F1915.87) and appliqu&‌eacute; (F1939.54), but it lacks their more complex outline. The smooth, flat sides of the head and neck may, in fact, have been refinished in ancient or, more likely, recent times. Several generations of owners might have drilled the complex system of holes on the back to accommodate their different ways of using this jade.

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Geoffrey WIlls. Jade of the East., 1st ed. New York, 1972. fig. 36.
  • William Watson. The Art of Dynastic China. New York, 1981. ill. 583.
  • Alfred Salmony. Chinese Jade Through the Wei Dynasty. New York, 1963. cat. 6a,b,c, pl. 12.
  • Masterpieces of Chinese and Japanese Art: Freer Gallery of Art handbook. Washington, 1976. p. 30.
  • Doris J. Dohrenwend. Jade Demonic Images from Early China. vol. 10 Washington and Ann Arbor, 1975. pp. 55-78, fig. 6a-b.
  • Wu Hung. "一组早期的玉石雕刻." I'tsu tsao-ch'i ti yu-shig tiao-k'o [A Group of Early Jade and Stone Carvings]., 1979. p. 69, fig. 13.
  • Richard Gump. Jade: Stone of Heaven., 1st ed. Garden City, 1962. p. 90.
  • Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Fang Gu. Yuqi shidai: Meiguo bowuguan cang Zhongguo zaoqi yuqi [The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums]. Beijing, 2009. p. 147.
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