Pendant in the form of a water bird

Fashioned of tan-colored, highly polished jade, the bird is presented in profile. The crested head atop a long, slender neck lends the bird an elegance that is echoed in the beveled lines of the wings and tail. Stylized projections on the tail and beneath the wings provide stabilizing elements for the overall composition. There is a circular perforation through the bird’s chest. (Calcified; chip/beak in front foot; some pitting; imperfections; rough spot on neck front; cinnabar adhering.)

Historical period(s)
Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050-ca. 950 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 6 x 6.2 x 0.8 cm (2 3/8 x 2 7/16 x 5/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S1987.862
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Jewelry

Keywords
bird, 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 #426: "Long necked bird Cream," 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

Fashioned of tan-colored, highly polished jade, the bird is presented in profile. The crested head atop a long, slender neck lends the bird an elegance that is echoed in the beveled lines of the wings and tail. Stylized projections on the tail and beneath the wings provide stabilizing elements for the overall composition. There is a circular perforation through the bird’s chest. (Calcified; chip/beak in front foot; some pitting; imperfections; rough spot on neck front; cinnabar adhering.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • et al. Asian Art in the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery: The Inaugural Gift. Washington, 1987. cat. 96, p. 96.
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
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