Fragment of a Trapezoidal Jade Knife

Identification and Creation

Object Number: 1943.50.58
Title: Fragment of a Trapezoidal Jade Knife
Classification: Ritual Implements
Work Type: knife
Date: c. 2500 BCE - c. 1900 BCE
Places: Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period: Neolithic period
Culture: Chinese
Persistent Link: https://hvrd.art/o/205299

Physical Descriptions

Medium: Bluish gray-green stone with black and light brown markings
Dimensions: H. 40.5 x W. 9.7 x D. 0.4 cm (15 15/16 x 3 13/16 x 3/16 in.)
Weight 270 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. 215 by Max Loehr:

215 Fragment of a Trapezoidal Knife
Both the material and the shape of this object link it closely to the preceding No. 214; the blade, however, is much thinner. The slant of the right end is characteristic of the trapezoidal blades, but the strongly sloping left edge has been rudely recut. The stepped bevel above the cutting edge appears only on the upper side, the reverse side being flat, except for a few saw-ledges. The placement of the four perforations is analogous to that of No. 214. Early Western Chou(?).

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

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

Accession Year

1943

Object Number

1943.50.58

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. 215, p. 167

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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