Cleveland Museum of Art

Amulet in the Form of a Seated Figure with Bovine Head

Date

c. 4700–2920 BCE

Medium

jade (nephrite)

Culture

Northeast China, Neolithic period, probably Hongshan culture (4700–2920 BCE)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

With a bovine head and four horns, this seated figurine was a powerful ritual and shamanic symbol. Drill holes above its shoulders form two interconnected perforations for suspension, suggesting that the jade was originally used as a pendant, presumably by the shaman performing the tasks of journeying to and communicating with the supernatural realms. CMA daringly acquired this masterpiece without knowing exactly what it was. Only after Chinese archaeologists started excavating similar jades in Northeast China could it be attributed to the Hongshan culture.

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