Harvesting knife (hu 笏) with geometric decoration, fragment

Large, thinly sliced trapezoidal blade. Dark mottled gray green altered at one end to grayish white. Two holes on each end of the top blunt edge are drilled from the same side; the middle hole is drilled from the other side. One short end smooth, the other broken by ragged, uneven notches with weak engraved lines on both sides. (Chipped corners and edges.)

Maker(s)
Artist: Longshan culture 龍山 (ca. 3000-ca. 1700 BCE)
Historical period(s)
Late Neolithic period, ca. 2000-ca. 1700 BCE
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D (overall): 41.1 × 11.9 × 4 cm (16 3/16 × 4 11/16 × 1 9/16 in)
Geography
China
Credit Line
The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Accession Number
S2012.9.167
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Ceremonial Object, Jade
Type

Ceremonial object: harvesting knife (hu)

Keywords
China, Late Neolithic period (ca. 5000 - ca. 1700 BCE), Paul Singer collection
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Description

Large, thinly sliced trapezoidal blade. Dark mottled gray green altered at one end to grayish white. Two holes on each end of the top blunt edge are drilled from the same side; the middle hole is drilled from the other side. One short end smooth, the other broken by ragged, uneven notches with weak engraved lines on both sides. (Chipped corners and edges.)

Published References
  • J. Keith Wilson, Jingmin Zhang. Jades for Life and Death. .
  • Elizabeth Childs-Johnson. Dragons, Masks, Axes and Blades from Four Newly-documented Jade-producing Cultures of Ancient China. vol. 19, no. 4 Hong Kong, 1988. p. 34, fig. 15.
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