Artwork Page for Feline Head with Bovine Horns and Elephant Trunk

Details / Information for Feline Head with Bovine Horns and Elephant Trunk

Feline Head with Bovine Horns and Elephant Trunk

1300–1000 BCE

China, Shang dynasty

(c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE)
Medium
jade
Measurements
Overall: 4.2 cm (1 5/8 in.)
Credit Line
Anonymous Gift 1952.573
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

The mouth, the underside of the nose, and the tapering hole for attachment at the rear of the head were cut by drilling.

Description

This small jade was shaped into a fantastic, composite animal: a feline form with bovine horns and an elephant's trunk.
A sculpture depicts a fragmented creature head carved from jade, a mottled greenish-gray stone with traces of red pigment. Wide-set eyes feature concentric rectangular patterns beneath two rounded, upward-curving horns. A smooth, trunk-like snout curves downward toward our left. The back of the head is broken, exposing a jagged edge where it once joined a larger form. Polished surfaces highlight a soft sheen, while deeper carvings reveal a lighter, weathered texture.

Feline Head with Bovine Horns and Elephant Trunk

1300–1000 BCE

China, Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1046 BCE)

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