Decorated Jade Plaque (one of a pair)

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1943.50.141
Title: Decorated Jade Plaque (one of a pair)
Classification: Ritual Implements
Work Type: ornament
Date: 475 BCE - 221 BCE
Places: Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period: Zhou dynasty, Warring States period, 475-221 BCE
Culture: Chinese
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/199017

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Calcified, cream-colored nephrite, originally translucent pale green
Dimensions: 5 x 2.4 x 0.4 cm (1 15/16 x 15/16 x 3/16 in.)
unspecified: 8 g

Published Text

Catalogue: Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University
Authors: Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber
Publisher: Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1975)

Catalogue entry no. 513b by Max Loehr:

513 Pair of Decorated Plaques
Translucent pale green jade with cream-colored spots (a), while the front surface of the other piece (b) is entirely calcified and cream-colored. The rectangular slabs are slightly convex on the decorated side and plain at the back. On each, two curly projections near the top are surmounted by a relatively broad part with a rounded contour. A short and narrow shank with a beveled back sites on top. The décor consists of an animal mask at the base, executed in low relief, and of incised, interlocked spirals above the mask. On the back a deep groove cuts lengthwise through the shank and adjoining part, while a deep and narrow arc runs from shoulder to shoulder. The upper side is highly polished. Late Eastern Chou.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop

Accession Year

1943

Object Number

1943.50.141

Division

Asian and Mediterranean Art

Contact

am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

Permissions

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Publication History

Max Loehr and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber, Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Fogg Art Museum (Cambridge, MA, 1975), cat. no. 513b, p. 345

Verification Level

This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu

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