Pendants
Unknown Artist
20th century
Medium
Jade, seed pearls
Dimensions
W. 1 3/8 in. (3.5 cm); L. 2 1/4 in. (5.7 cm)
Classification
Jade
Culture
China
Department
Asian Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Alfred W. Hoyt Collection, Bequest of Rosina H. Hoppin, 1965
Accession Number
65.86.102
Tags
Art Historical Context
These delicate jade pendants, crafted in 20th-century, exemplify the enduring tradition of jade carving in Asian art. Measuring just 1 3/8 inches wide and 2 1/4 inches long, these jewels—adorned with seed pearlswere likely worn as personal ornaments, showcasing the wearer's appreciation for refined elegance and natural motifs. The unknown artist skillfully transformed translucent jade, a material revered in Chinese culture for its purity and symbolic ties to immortality and virtue, into intricate designs featuring birds, which often represent freedom, good fortune, or seasonal harmony. Jade's...