The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 19, 2024
Ceremonial Blade with Three Perforations (Dao)
2000–1700 BCE
(2000–1700 BCE)
Overall: 35.2 cm (13 7/8 in.)
Location: 241A Arts of Ancient China
Did You Know?
Although it may look made of metal, this blade is actually skillfully worked jade.Description
This impressive blade combines the beauty of material, precision of geometry, and mastery of technique. The fine polish, silken sheen, and extreme thinness (only 2 mm thick) make it an outstanding example of meticulous workmanship in ancient jade craft. Recent recoveries of similar blades from a pit of a Qijia cultural site located in northwest China reveal that they were originally standing on their edges and were arranged in parallel formations at the ritual ground.- ?-1959Dredrich-Abbes Collection, ?-19591959-2009Dr. Arthur M. Sackler Collection, 1959-2009, consigned for sale at Christie's New York2009(Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections, Christie's New York, NY, 18 March 2009, sale 2268, lot 275, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art).2009-The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH, 2009-present
- Loehr, Max and Louisa G. Fitzgerald Huber. Ancient Chinese Jades from the Grenville L. Winthrop Collection in the Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University: [Exhibited ... January 22-March 18, 1975]. Cambridge, Mass: Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, 1975. cat. no 207, p. 162Shaanxi Sheng kao gu yan jiu suo, and Yulin Shi wen wu bao hu yan jiu suo 陕西省考古硏究所, 榆林市文物保护研究所. Shen mu xin hua 神木新华. Beijing: Ke xue chu ban she, 2005. pp. 114-115Christie's New York, NY. Fine Chinese Art from the Arthur M. Sackler Collections. Sale 2286.18 March 2009. Lot no. 275. Reproduced and Mentioned: lot no. 275 pp.4 and 42
- {{cite web|title=Ceremonial Blade with Three Perforations (Dao)|url=false|author=|year=2000–1700 BCE|access-date=19 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2009.83