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Nephrite is the specific mineral species of jade used in Chinese antiquity. Natural sources are known in numerous regions of China, but the tough, fibrous material capable of taking a high polish has always been rare, contributing to its appeal and to the worth of the finished objects it yields. Archaeology reveals that the beauty and durability of select forms ensured their retention as keepsakes for generations. Documented discoveries also prove that the intrinsic value of the matrix encouraged reuse—through reshaping, reworking, or redecorating—in response to changing conditions. In this talk, curator of ancient Chinese art Keith Wilson will take a closer look at jades in our collection to define patterns among recycled Neolithic forms in the Bronze Age, with a focus on the late Shang period.
A specialist in Chinese antiquities, J. Keith Wilson received his BA in Chinese studies from Williams College (1978) and completed his PhD coursework at Princeton University (1988) after receiving MAs in Chinese art and archaeology from both the University of Michigan and Princeton. He was also a research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia at the University of Tokyo (1985–86). He was appointed curator at the Cleveland Museum of Art (1988–1996) and chief curator of Asian art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (1996–2006). Since joining the Freer and Sackler in 2006, he has reinstalled the ancient Chinese art galleries in the Freer Gallery and launched a comprehensive digital catalogue, Jades for Life and Death. He is currently preparing a major exhibition dedicated to objects associated with the late Shang dynasty capital of Anyang (ca. 1300–ca. 1050 BCE).
This talk is part of the new monthly lunchtime series, Sneak Peek: New Research from the Freer and Sackler, where museum staff present in-depth, personal perspectives on and discuss ongoing research connected to works in the Freer and Sackler collections.
Image credit: Ornament in the form of an animal head and crest, reworked from a tube (cong 琮), fragment; China, Late Neolithic period, reworked in Western Zhou dynasty, ca. 1050–ca. 950 BCE; The Dr. Paul Singer Collection of Chinese Art of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; a joint gift of the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, Paul Singer, the AMS Foundation for the Arts, Sciences, and Humanities, and the Children of Arthur M. Sackler, S2012.9.165 |
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