Page 429 - The Golden Age of Chinese Archaeology: Celebrated Discoveries from the People’s Republic of China

H7

Jade box

Height 7.7 (3'A), diam. 9.8 (3 7s)
Western Han Dynasty, second century BCE
From the tomb of the King of Nanyue at Xianggang,
Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

The Museum of the Western Han Tomb of the
Nanyue King, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

1
This jade box, consisting of a bowl-shaped base
and a shallow domed lid, is among the most exquis-
ite jades ever excavated in China. It is of a pale
brownish green with some dark staining — the
result, in part, of use. The rim of the lid and of the
base are decorated with relief borders of interlock-
ing scrolls and a pattern of incised hooks and lines
reminiscent of the design on cat. 143. A small loop,
through which a rope-patterned ring passes to form
a handle, is carved integrally with the lid. A border
of eight petals in relief encircles the loop — an
unusual number, although designs incorporating
four elements often appear around the knobs of
mirrors. The lid's interior is decorated with birds
that arch backward over their long tails; their flow-
ing crests resemble those of the aggressive creature
in cat. 141.

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