Flanged bracelet

Disk, with projecting inner rim; opaque cream/tan; open center. (Almost totally calcified; some worn spots with chipping on central flange.)

(Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, entered March 25, 2009) Opaque gray and creamy white, altered; cinnabar accretion. Shaping precise and refined. Slight convex inner wall of hole suggests biconical hole smoothed out. Series of shallow concentric rings in no discernible arrangement on flat surface of disk. Wu Tanghai 吳棠海 interprets these rings as results of uneven coarseness of abrasive, added to grinding process in installments. The original larger grained abrasives produced deeper, more obvious circular grooves, and as the grain size wears away in the process, produce increasingly shallower grooves. A new batch of abrasives will begin the process anew. Thinly rounded and shaped collar.

Historical period(s)
Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty, ca. 1300-ca. 1050 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
Diam x D: 9.9 x 0.3 cm (3 7/8 x 1/8 in) Diam (hole): 5.8 cm (2 5/16 in)
Geography
China, probably Henan province, Anyang
Credit Line
Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S1987.658
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Jade, Jewelry and Ornament
Type

Bracelet

Keywords
Anyang period (ca. 1300 - ca. 1050 BCE), China
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Disk, with projecting inner rim; opaque cream/tan; open center. (Almost totally calcified; some worn spots with chipping on central flange.)

(Jenny F. So, Jade Project Database, entered March 25, 2009) Opaque gray and creamy white, altered; cinnabar accretion. Shaping precise and refined. Slight convex inner wall of hole suggests biconical hole smoothed out. Series of shallow concentric rings in no discernible arrangement on flat surface of disk. Wu Tanghai 吳棠海 interprets these rings as results of uneven coarseness of abrasive, added to grinding process in installments. The original larger grained abrasives produced deeper, more obvious circular grooves, and as the grain size wears away in the process, produce increasingly shallower grooves. A new batch of abrasives will begin the process anew. Thinly rounded and shaped collar.

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
Collection Area(s)
Chinese Art
Web Resources
Jades for Life and Death
Google Cultural Institute
SI Usage Statement

Usage Conditions Apply

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page.

The information presented on this website may be revised and updated at any time as ongoing research progresses or as otherwise warranted. Pending any such revisions and updates, information on this site may be incomplete or inaccurate or may contain typographical errors. Neither the Smithsonian nor its regents, officers, employees, or agents make any representations about the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or timeliness of the information on the site. Use this site and the information provided on it subject to your own judgment. The Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery welcome information that would augment or clarify the ownership history of objects in their collections.

citation | Save this image How to download an image | Request Permission | Terms of Use

Related Objects