Page 23 - Chinese Decorative Arts: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 55, no. 1 (Summer, 1997)

Belt slide
Jin to Yuan
dynasty, 12th-14th century
Nephrite
H. 25/8 in. (6.7 cm)
Florence and Herbert
Purchase, Irving Gift, 1991
1991.483

elts composed of metal pieces attached to the art of western Central Asia and Persia. A The small falcon, known as the haidongqing,
leather or fabric were first introduced to flying goose with a lotus in its beak pursued was a hallmark of the spring hunt, which is
China from Central Asia in the Western Jin by a small falcon is shown in the openwork called chunshan in Chinese
(spring mountain)
period (265-317). During the Tang dynasty jade center. This motif has been identified as a sources. The Jurchen were known for these
in
belts of this type were produced large num- symbol for the goose, or swan, hunt conducted trained birds, which were coveted throughout
bers. From the Tang to the Ming dynasty such as a spring rite by the Jurchen, a forest people Asia. This specific iconography indicates that
jade belts were a sign of status worn by mem- from Manchuria who controlled parts of the slide may have been made for the Jurchen
of
bers of the imperial family and high-ranking northern China as the Jin dynasty. spring hunt. Images geese or of swans with
individuals. This slide with a loop was used to The spring goose hunt and a related autum- lotus continued to decorate small jade acces-
suspend personal accessories from a belt. nal event, the deer hunt, were integral to the sories during the subsequent Ming dynasty.
This piece was made from translucent white yearly cycle of the Jurchen. The emperor However, the falcon is missing in the later
at
nephrite, which has the unctuous texture that presided both, and officials were required works, in which the symbolic imagery has been
prompted the stone's frequent comparison to to wear clothing, jewelry, and regalia that lost: ritual hunts were no longer held after the
"mutton fat" in Chinese writings on the prop- depicted scenes from these events. Jade repre- country was again in the hands of the native
erties of jade. The borders are a series of pearl- sentations were worn by senior officials, while Han Chinese. DPL
a
like shapes, design that can be traced back to the same themes in bronze were displayed by
Tang-dynasty metalwork and ultimately to those of lower rank.

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