Northern Song dynasty, fourth year of the Daguan era (1110)/Rock crystal
Rock-crystal fish of the Northern Song dynasty
A Northern Song fish-shaped ornament in colourless, transparent rock crystal, carved in the round with a hole at the eye. Excavated in 2008 from Tomb M5 at the Lü family cemetery in Lantian, Shaanxi; now in Shaanxi Archaeology Museum.
Huang Songtao (Songfa) · CC BY 4.0
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- Name
- Rock-crystal fish of the Northern Song dynasty
- Period
- Northern Song dynasty, fourth year of the Daguan era (1110)
- Material
- Rock crystal
- Collection
- Shaanxi Archaeology Museum
- Findspot
- Excavated in 2008 from Tomb M5 (吕省山夫人墓), Lü family cemetery, Lantian, Shaanxi
- Text by
- 黄松涛（松松發文物君） / Huang Songtao
- Photography
- 黄松涛（松松發文物君） / Huang Songtao
- Photography equipment
- Nikon D850
Description
A Northern Song fish-shaped ornament carved from colourless, transparent rock crystal. Carved in the round, the fish has a full, rounded body and a smooth, lustrous polish throughout. Its head is blunt and rounded, with a circular hole drilled at the position of the eye, probably for suspension on a cord. The body is broad, with a swelling belly and a serrated dorsal fin; the pelvic fins are indicated by shallow incised lines. The tail spreads backwards and is slightly forked, with parallel incised lines marking the fin rays. The overall form is naturalistic, with economical carving.
Excavated in 2008 from Tomb M5, the tomb of the wife of 吕省山 at the Lü family cemetery in Lantian, Shaanxi, dated to the fourth year of the Daguan era under Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song (1110). Now in Shaanxi Archaeology Museum. The Lü family of Lantian was renowned for Neo-Confucian scholarship and the study of ancient bronzes and inscriptions during the Northern Song. The brothers Lü Dalin and Lü Dajun belonged to this family, many of whose members had close ties to Zhang Zai’s Guanzhong school. Fish-shaped rock-crystal pendants are occasionally found in women’s tombs of the Song dynasty. A slightly earlier rock-crystal fish comes from an underground chamber at Dingzhou: rock-crystal fish from Jingzhi Temple, Dingzhou, possibly an ornament for a hairpin.
Published