Jade Elephant
| Accession No. | R009103 |
|---|---|
| Period | Shang Dynasty |
| Material | Jade |
| Findspot | Tomb No. 1728 Hsi-pei-kang, Yin-xu Site |
| Geographic Location | Hou-Chia-Chuang village, Anyang, Honan province, China |
| Dimension | L. 3.7 cm; W. 2.3 cm; T. 0.7 cm |
Description
This elephant pendant is made of yellow and green jade with some cloudy inclusions. The texture of the jade piece is soft and sleek as it has been delicately polished. On one side there are a large number of grey to brown inclusions, whereas on the other side there are only a small number of brown inclusions. The jade piece has a flat and narrow body and a wide back. A hole was drilled around the trunk to portray how it curls, while most of the remaining details of the body were drawn with single incised lines. The eye of the elephant is in the form of a vertical “臣” character. The outline of the big ears, four feet and the tail were also depicted. Despite its small size, it was made delicately.