笄|Hairpin

Unknown

Date unknown · Bone · Asian Art

The Jōmon period is the earliest period in Japanese history, lasting from roughly 14,000 to 300 BCE. Using materials such as bone, antlers, and stone, the Jōmon people created not only utilitarian objects, such as harpoons and arrowheads, which supported their hunter-gatherer lifestyle, but also a variety of jewelry and objects used for religious purposes. Hairpins such as this one are relatively common, and may have had a spiritual as well as decorative purpose.

Artist

Unknown

Date

Date unknown

Medium

Bone

Culture

Japan

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

The Harry G. C. Packard Collection of Asian Art, Gift of Harry G. C. Packard, and Purchase, Fletcher, Rogers, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Louis V. Bell Funds, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, and The Annenberg Fund Inc. Gift, 1975