Standing Nobleman Pendant
Culture
Chinese
Date206 BCE–220 CE
Mediumpartly altered nephrite
Dimensions7.8 cm (3 1/16 in.)
ClassificationsCostumes and Accessories
Credit LineGift of Drs. Ann and Robert Walzer
Object number2007.111
Label TextCarvings of single figures were rare before the Eastern Zhou dynasty (770 - 221 BCE). Their more frequent appearance paralleled the increased use of clay sculptures of human figures (instead of human sacrifices) in tombs. This pendant shows a male figure wearing a long robe tied with a sash and a headdress with a double-pointed ornament. His arms are folded across the chest with his hands hidden inside the sleeves.
Highly burnished jade pigs conceived with stylized cuts and incised lines to indicate flanks, shoulders, limbs, snout, ears and eyes, have been found in many Han dynasty tombs. Believed to be protective and preservative, these pig jades were usually placed under the armpits or in the clenched hands of the deceased. Examples such as this, with perforations through the tail ridge and below snout, were often sown onto the shroud or the sleeves of the deceased.
ProvenanceMei Li Dong Collection, NY; Spencer Throckmorton, New York, NY; 2002, purchased by Drs. Ann and Robert Walzer, Redding, CT: 2007, donated to the Worcester Art Museum.On View
On view
