Original text : (Automatic translation)
Jade fish pendant. China, late Shang to early Western Zhou dynasty c. 12th - 9th century BC. A small pendant in the shape of a curved fish, carved in considerable detail with engraved eyes, neatly carved dorsal combs and fins, and a forked tail. The semi-translucent green stone is smoothly polished and soft to the touch. Small pendants in the form of a fish formed part of bead necklaces or were suspended as jingles from the crossbars of Zhou dynasty chariots. They are found in a great variety of shapes, but the curved form, suggesting a leaping fish, is unusual. Precise dating of such pendants is difficult, but both the degree of fluidity in the carving and the incised detail on this competently carved fish suggest a late Shang to early Western Zhou date. A more stylised curved fish is in the collection of W.P. Chung. Another example is in the Hotung collection.