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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1943.50.556
Title
Heavy Jade Disk with Three Dragons in Relief
Classification
Sculpture
Work Type
sculpture
Date
206 BCE - 220 CE (?)
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Han dynasty, 206 BCE-220 CE
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/204536

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Pale greenish translucent nephrite with russet veins
Dimensions
1.5 x 13.2 cm (9/16 x 5 3/16 in.)
unspecified: 382 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. 539 by Max Loehr:

539 Heavy Disk with Three Dragons in Relief
Pale greenish translucent jade with russet veins. On the upper side are carved out in high relief three dragon figures which move clockwise, filling the space like a wreath. They are differentiated individually: the longest of them has a twisted horn in the middle of his head; the second has instead a crest of wavy hair; while the smallest has neither horn nor hair, his ears are shaped differently, and his tail is twisted. Apparently the three are a family. The bodies of these dragons, elongated and sinuous, move energetically; their necks and heads are thrust back, their forelegs and hindlegs are alternately bent and stretched, while their long, bifurcated tails form sweeping, ornamental curves. The carver took pains to remove hard edges and sharp points. The reverse side, with beveled inner and outer margins, is covered with a grid of small, elevated dots and interlocked, incised lines; this pattern is executed with astonishing precision. Han.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop
Accession Year
1943
Object Number
1943.50.556
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 (Cambridge, MA, Fogg Art Museum, 1975)., cat. no. 539, p. 376
  • Jenny So, Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2019), pp. 320-2, cat. 47A

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