Bird pendant

A piece of greenish jade has been altered with creamy opaque colors in most of the upper areas. The incisions show residues of earth and red cinnabar. The pendant depicts a flat, almost square bird with a bottle-shaped crown on the top and one hole at the beak. The wing begins in a big whirl that bulges out at the neck. The tail turns downward. Long intaglio lines are the main demarcations.

Birds were much favored as pendants on personal ornaments during the Bronze Age and were buried with their owners for use in the afterlife. Several examples from late Shang tombs in Henan are somewhat longer rectangles. Those Shang birds are distinguished by a long, graceful diadem on the head and an energetic tail (Zgyqqj 1993, vol. 2, plates 88–90).

The wing and tail of this piece are exaggerated compared to Shang versions. Its crown, which resembles a dragon's, differs from those on Shang birds. The entire piece was treated with chemical acid, and it was further coated with earth and red cinnabar in an attempt to age it artificially.