金至元 玉雕鶻搏天鵝“春水”帶飾|Belt slide with a falcon attacking a swan

Unknown

12th–14th century · Jade (nephrite) · Asian Art

This carved jade belt slide shows a small falcon hunting a wild goose amid lotus flowers. The motif symbolizes the spring hunt of the Jurchens, a seminomadic people who lived beyond China’s Great Wall in the northeast. Known as chunshui (spring water) in historical texts, the hunt was an important annual Jurchen ritual that Mongol and Manchu royalty continued during the later dynasties. The motif appears widely on ceramics, textiles, and other media.

Artist

Unknown

Date

12th–14th century

Medium

Jade (nephrite)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Florence and Herbert Irving Gift, 1991