Bird with peach

A small bald-headed bird grips a large peach on a leafy branch. The bird, branch, and peach are masterfully executed with deep undercutting separating them. The birds’s folded wings form a large heart-shape overlapping a long curled tail on the back. Each eye appears as a raised pupil framed by a raised circle. Wing and tail feathers are delicately incised.

Historical period(s)
Ming dynasty, 1368-1644
Medium
Jade
Dimensions
H x W x D: 8 x 4.6 x 4.9 cm (3 1/8 x 1 13/16 x 1 15/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.772
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Sculpture
Type

Figure

Keywords
bird, China, Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644)
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

A small bald-headed bird grips a large peach on a leafy branch. The bird, branch, and peach are masterfully executed with deep undercutting separating them. The birds's folded wings form a large heart-shape overlapping a long curled tail on the back. Each eye appears as a raised pupil framed by a raised circle. Wing and tail feathers are delicately incised.

Label

The lustrous surface of this jade almost beckons to be touched. Chinese scholars, who loved jade carvings, enjoyed the cool, pleasurably unctuous feel of the stone. They described the qualities of jade as "pure" and deemed it to be an appropriate symbol for an admirable gentleman; they also found in jade an apt metaphor for a beautiful woman.

Small though this piece is, its masterful execution with deep carving imbues it with the force of a larger sculpture. The elements of the bird's wings, tail, and talons, and the leafy peach branch, are each worked in high relief and given rich textures with incised lines. In traditional Chinese lore peaches are said to be symbols of immortality, so this jade expresses a wish for longevity.

Published References
  • Chinese Jade Animals. Exh. cat. Hong Kong. cat. 162.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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