Jade Seal with a Chain of Two Rings

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1943.50.622
Title: Jade Seal with a Chain of Two Rings
Classification: Seals
Work Type: seal
Date: 3rd cent. BCE - 2nd cent. BCE (?)
Places: Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period: Warring States period (475-221 BCE) to Western Han period (206 BCE-9 CE)
Culture: Chinese
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/204841

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Translucent yellowish green, partly discolored nephrite
Dimensions: base: 2 x 2 cm (13/16 x 13/16 in.)
rings: Diam. 2.4 cm (15/16 in.)
20 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. 519 by Max Loehr:

519 Seal with a Chain of Two Rings
Translucent yellowish green, partly discolored jade with a highly polished, glossy surface. The square body with beveled top is linked to a swiveling loop to which are attached two interconnected and faceted, flattish rings. The seal bears no inscription. Late Eastern Chou or Western Han.

The rings and the swiveling loop are carved from one piece of jade. According to an X-ray analysis conducted by Heather Lechtman, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, projecting from the loop is a cylindrical member that has been inserted into a hole drilled down from the top of the seal. The lower portion of the hole widens a little. Attached to the cylindrical member is a gold(?) band that was forced through the upper portion of the hole and then sprang open, thus locking the swivel in place.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

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

Accession Year

1943

Object Number

1943.50.622

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. 519, p. 349

Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be 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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