Cleveland Museum of Art

Ceremonial Blade with Three Perforations (Dao)

Date

2000–1700 BCE

Medium

jade (nephrite)

Culture

Northwest China, Neolithic period to Bronze Age, Qijia culture (2000–1700 BCE)

Department

Chinese Art

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This impressive blade combines the beauty of material, precision of geometry, and mastery of technique. The fine polish, silken sheen, and extreme thinness (only 2 mm thick) make it an outstanding example of meticulous workmanship in ancient jade craft. Recent recoveries of similar blades from a pit of a Qijia cultural site located in northwest China reveal that they were originally standing on their edges and were arranged in parallel formations at the ritual ground. Although it may look made of metal, this blade is actually skillfully worked jade.

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