Fish Gong
Unknown Artist
Medium
Jadeite, an intermingling of very translucent gray, blue and green with touches of russet
Dimensions
H. 6 3/4 in. (17.2 cm); W. 9 11/16 in. (24.6 cm); L. 5/16 in. (0.8 cm)
Classification
Jade
Culture & Period
China · Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Heber R. Bishop, 1902
Accession Number
02.18.421
Tags
Art Historical Context
Behold the exquisite *Fish Gong*, a masterful jadeite carving from China's Ming dynasty (13681644). Crafted from highly translucent gray, blue, and greenite accented with subtle russet hues, this thin slab measures just 6 3/4 inches high, 9 11/16 inches wide, and mere 5/16 inch thick—demonstrating the era's unparalleled lapidary. Shaped as a graceful fish, it belongs to the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Asian Art collection, generously gifted by Heber R. Bishop in 1902. In Ming China, jade was revered as the "stone of heaven," symbolizing purity, immortality, and imperial virtue. This gong, cl...