Finial in the form of a human hybrid

Human head pendant with incised bird body; pierced; translucent gray. (Deposits; otherwise good condition.)

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Historical period(s)
Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-771 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 5.7 x 2.2 x 1.2 cm (2 1/4 x 7/8 x 1/2 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.480
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Jewelry

Keywords
China, Western Zhou dynasty (ca. 1050 - 771 BCE)
Provenance

To 1959
Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), Shanghai, China, London, England, Montreal, Canada, New York, NY, and Ridgefield, Connecticut [1]

From 1959 to 1963
Edna H. Bahr (d. 1978), United States and England, acquired by descent from her father, Abel William Bahr

From 1963 to 1987
Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from Edna H. Bahr in 1963 [2]

From 1987
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [3]

Notes:

[1] According to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009.

[2] See #231: "Human figure with bird body. Thick, grey," on list provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009, copy in object file.

[3] Pursuant to the agreement between Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.

Previous Owner(s) and Custodian(s)

Edna H. Bahr died 1978
Abel William Bahr 1877-1959
Dr. Arthur M. Sackler 1913-1987

Description

Human head pendant with incised bird body; pierced; translucent gray. (Deposits; otherwise good condition.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • John Johnston, Chan Lai Pik. 5000 Years of Chinese Jade. Exh. cat. San Antonio, Texas, 2011. cat. 26, p. 61.
  • New Frontiers in Global Archaeology: Defining China's Ancient Traditions [Quan qiu hua bei jing xia kao gu xue xin qian yan: jie du Zhongguo gu dai chuan tong]. New York, 2008. p. 310.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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