COLLECTION NAME:
National Palace English
Record
Work ID:
M01C00118
Title:
An archaistic jade pendant with dragon and phoenix motif
Creation Date:
Ming to Qing Dynasty
Start Year Date:
A.D.1368
End Year Date:
A.D.1911
Dynasty:
45 Ming Dynasty (A.D. 1368~1644)
Dynasty:
63 Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1644~1911)
Creation Place:
China
Measurements:
Diameter: 11.7 cm; Width: 3.4 cm; Thickness: 0.6 cm
Material:
Jade
Type:
Jades and Other Precious Stones
Subject:
Dragon
Repository:
The National Palace Museum, Taipei
Description:
Carved of a greenish white translucent jade, some parts appear red, gray, and black due to mining of the jade, not because of long-term handling. It is likely that this beautiful jade pendant was originally a shiny, plain disc made in the late Neolithic to Xia or Shang Dynasty, and then re-carved later. The jade artisans adroitly exploited the surface area of the jade, and carved a dragonhead on one end and a phoenix head on the other. The dragon and the phoenix share a long body that overlaps and coils. The phoenix head is abbreviated, and at first glance, it may appear to be the dragon tail that elegantly curls around the nose of the dragon. In sum, the artisans studied the decorative motifs of the Warring States and Western Han period, and they successfully made delicate changes on this confined material.
ImageV ID:
M01C00118AS001
Rights:
Lee & Lee Communications