Artwork Page for Jade Plaque

Details / Information for Jade Plaque

Jade Plaque

475–221 BCE

China, Henan province, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BCE), Warring States period

(475–221 BCE)
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Medium
nephrite
Measurements
Overall: 22.5 x 8.9 cm (8 7/8 x 3 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund and the John L. Severance Fund 1991.78.1
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This beautiful pair of late Eastern Zhou openwork jade plaques illustrate a level of creativity and technical achievement that was unequaled before or since. Taking the shape of a pair of fantastic creatures, they are at once tigerlike, rhinolike, and dragonlike. Their strong silhouettes are marked with shallow relief bands, and their subtly swelling embellished surfaces are finished to the same degree on both sides.
A nephrite, a warm, mottled tan stone with dark brown and green spots, is carved into a horizontal animal-like creature. Small, circular raised bumps cover the body, while flowing scrolls define the limbs and head. In profile facing our right with its snout lowered, the tail section on our left is fragmented, revealing a rougher, lighter surface where pieces have chipped away.

Jade Plaque

475–221 BCE

China, Henan province, Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 BCE), Warring States period (475–221 BCE)

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