Object Details
Label
The elaborate openwork design of a dragon in sweeping curves resembling clouds and a feline with a twisted body in profile suggests a narrative and setting that extend beyond pure decoration. Disks such as this, created from pale green nephrite of exceptional quality, are extremely rare and have been found only in royal tombs.
Provenance
To 1916
Lai Yuan and Company, New York, to 1916 [1]
From 1916 to 1919
Charles Lang Freer (1854–1919), purchased from Lai Yuan and Company in 1916 [2]
From 1920
The Freer Gallery of Art, gift of Charles Lang Freer in 1920 [3]
Notes:
[1] See Original Miscellaneous List, S.I. 892, p. 196, Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
[2] See note 1.
[3] The original deed of Charles Lang Freer's gift was signed in 1906. The collection was received in 1920 upon the completion of the Freer Gallery.
Collection
Freer Gallery of Art Collection
Exhibition History
Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades (October 14, 2017 - ongoing)
Ancient Chinese Jades and Bronzes (November 20, 2010 to January 3, 2016)
Ancient Chinese Jade (September 4, 1980 to March 6, 1981)
Chinese Art (January 1, 1963 to March 6, 1981)
Chinese Bronze, Jade, Metalwork (March 1, 1957 to January 1, 1963)
Centennial Exhibition, Galleries 14 and 15 (February 25, 1956 to March 1, 1957)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1955 (August 26, 1955 to October 25, 1955)
Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1946 (May 7, 1946 to February 25, 1956)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Art, 1944 (November 15, 1944 to May 6, 1946)
Untitled Exhibition, Ancient Chinese Art, 1943 (March 22, 1943 to November 17, 1944)
Untitled Exhibition, Chinese Metalwork (March 14, 1931 to March 22, 1943)
Ancient Chinese Paintings, Sculptures, and Jade Objects from the Collection formed by Charles Lang Freer (November 15 to December 08, 1917)
Previous custodian or owner
Lai-Yuan & Company (ca. 1915-April 1921) (C.L. Freer source)
Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919)
Credit Line
Gift of Charles Lang Freer
Date
100-220
Period
Eastern Han dynasty
Accession Number
F1916.155
Restrictions & Rights
CC0
Type
Ceremonial Object
Medium
Jade (nephrite)
Dimensions
H x W x D: 22 x 15.2 x 0.7 cm (8 11/16 x 6 x 1/4 in)
Diam (hole): 2.6 cm (1 in)
Origin
China
On View
West Building (Freer Gallery of Art), Gallery 19: Afterlife: Ancient Chinese Jades
Related Online Resources
Google Arts & Culture
Jades for Life and Death
See more items in
National Museum of Asian Art
Data Source
National Museum of Asian Art
Topic
jade
nephrite
dragon
Eastern Han dynasty (25 - 220)
China
Chinese Art
Charles Lang Freer collection
Link to Original Record
Record ID
fsg_F1916.155