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Squared disc (cong)

CC0 Public Domain Designation

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Date:

Neolithic period (ca. 8000–2000 BC), Liangzhu Culture, ca. 3000–2500 B.C.

Artist:

China

About this artwork

Elaborately furnished Chinese tombs of the late fourth and third millennia B.C. reveal that jade objects were prestigious burial gifts, particularly among the Liangzhu people of the eastern coast (present-day Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces). This bracelet-like form is carved with a masklike image composed of circles and bars that suggest eyes and nose or mouth. The same motif is seen in the tapered exterior surfaces of tall prisms, where it is multiplied in vertical tiers.

Jade-rich burials suggest that Chinese beliefs in the stone’s life-preserving properties originated in prehistoric times.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Arts of Asia

Title

Squared disc (cong)

Place

China (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

3000 BCE–2000 BCE

Medium

Jade

Dimensions

3.2 × 10.8 cm (1 1/4 × 4 1/4 in.)

Credit Line

Edward and Louise B. Sonnenschein Collection

Reference Number

1950.519

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

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https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/69688/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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