The Art Institute of Chicago : Buddha, Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907
Sheath with Bird and Feline or Dragon, Warring States period/Western Han dynasty, 3rd/2nd century B.C. Jade (nephrite). 10.6 x 5.7 x 0.5 cm (4 3/16 x 9 3/8 x 1/8 in.). Through prior gifts of Mrs. Chauncey B. Borland, Lucy Maud Buckingham Collection, Emily Crane Chadbourne, Mary Hooker Dole, Edith B. Farnsworth, Mrs. Mary A. B. MacKenzie, Mr. and Mrs. Chauncey B. McCormick, Fowler McCormick, Mrs. Gordon Palmer, Grace Brown Palmer, Chester D. Tripp, Russell Tyson, H. R. Warner, Joseph Winterbotham, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Ziff, 1987.141. The Art Institute of Chicago
Artists of China's late Bronze Age achieved both technical mastery and visual sophistication in elegant objects like this jade sheath, designed to fit a small blade. Its fluid contours and subtle surface modeling are remarkable because they were achieved by slowly grinding down, drilling, and polishing the stone.