Sliced white jade fish-A
Sliced white jade fish-A
The Chinese nation has a long tradition of loving and worshipping jade. Because "fish" and "surplus" are homophones, implying "surplus every year", ornaments with fish as the theme have become popular since the Shang and Zhou dynasties.
This jade fish belongs to the middle period of the Western Zhou Dynasty. The fish eyes are carved into large round eyes with thick intaglio lines. The upper part of the fish mouth is pointed upward, and the front edge extends obliquely downward, similar to an axe. There is only one dorsal fin, which does not protrude from the body of the fish. The lower edge of the dorsal fin is highlighted with intaglio lines. The tail is pointed and convex, tilted to the ground, with a "V"-shaped opening in the middle.
This piece of jade is in the form of a sheet. Although it has been polished, the traces of wire cutting can still be clearly seen on the cut surface, which is very open. The fish body has been highly polished and is very smooth, with obvious glass patina.
The jade is white with some black spots, which are not perfect, but are similar to the black spots on the surface of fish, which is very vivid and interesting. There is a small hole at the mouth of the fish for wearing, which may be a scattered part of the assembly.
This jade fish is slender, well-preserved, and has a typical craftsmanship and shape. It is a rare specimen of jade fish from the Western Zhou Dynasty.
Dimensions: Length 175mm (6.89") Width 17mm (0.67") Thickness 6mm (0.24")
Weight: 21g (0.05lb)