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Object Details
- Description
- A horned owl is depicted quite realistically except for the volute and triangle design decor on the wings. (Many chips/discrepancies in uniformity [ancient?]; deteriorated veins filled with soil and spots of cinnabar.)
- (Jenny F. So, October 18, 1996) A standing horned owl is carved and decorated on both sides. Its wings hug the body tightly to form a taut columnar shape. Claws are seen in the front, and the back is decorated to show wings and tail. Double incised volutes and curls follow the bird's wings and body descriptively. Turquoise, surface deteriorated and filled with earthy remains; carved.
- Previous custodian or owner
- Abel William Bahr (1877-1959)
- Dr. Arthur M. Sackler (1913-1987)
- Provenance
- To 1959
- Abel William Bahr (1877-1959), Shanghai, China, London, England, Montreal, Canada, New York, NY, and Ridgefield, Connecticut
- [1]
- From 1963 to 1987
- Arthur M. Sackler, New York, purchased from the Bahr Collection in 1963 [2]
- From 1987
- Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, gift of Arthur M. Sackler on September 11, 1987 [3]
- Notes:
- [1] According to information provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009.
- [2] See #344:
- "Turquoise standing owl," on list provided by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, October 9, 2009, copy in object file.
- [3] Pursuant to the agreement between Arthur M. Sackler and the Smithsonian Institution, dated July 28, 1982, legal title of the donated objects was transferred to the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on September 11, 1987.
- Credit Line
- Gift of Arthur M. Sackler
- ca. 1250-ca. 1050 BCE
- Period
- Late Shang dynasty
- Accession Number
- S1987.864
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Medium
- Turquoise
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 6.3 × 3.4 × 1.9 cm (2 1/2 × 1 5/16 × 3/4 in)
- Origin
- Anyang, probably Henan province, China
- Related Online Resources
- Google Cultural Institute
- Jades for Life and Death
- See more items in
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Collection
- On View
- Sackler Gallery 24b: Anyang: China's Ancient City of Kings
- Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
- Topic
- bird
- owl
- Anyang period, Late Shang dynasty (ca. 1300 - 1050 BCE)
- China
- Chinese Art
- Record ID
- fsg_S1987.864
- Metadata Usage (text)
- Usage conditions apply
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ye3b4c2e99d-70b4-4f9a-bb52-345980533274
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