Finial (?) in the form of a standing bird

Handle, peg-shaped, carved owl on one end, tapered to bottom; drilled near center front to back; opaque mottled greens. (Calcified partially [?]; deposits.)

Maker(s)
Artist: Shijiahe culture 石家河 (ca. 2500-ca. 2000 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 2500 - 2000 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 9.5 x 1.3 x 1.3 cm (3 3/4 x 1/2 x 1/2 in)
Geography
China, Middle Yangzi valley, Hubei province
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.677
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Finial

Keywords
bird, China, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Handle, peg-shaped, carved owl on one end, tapered to bottom; drilled near center front to back; opaque mottled greens. (Calcified partially [?]; deposits.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Joan Hartman-Goldsmith. Chinese Jade Through the Centuries. New York, 1968-1969. No. 27.
  • Dr. Paul Singer. Chinese Art: A Thousand Masterpieces from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Washington, 2000. cat. 131, p. 125.
  • Elizabeth Childs-Johnson, Fang Gu. Yuqi shidai: Meiguo bowuguan cang Zhongguo zaoqi yuqi [The Jade Age: Early Chinese Jades in American Museums]. Beijing, 2009. pp. 142-143.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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