Chinese Jades from the Collection of Marianne and Isidore Cohn Jr.

Chinese artists have worked jade for over six thousand years, creating objects for ritual and ceremonial use as well as for personal adornment and decoration. During the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties there was a dramatic increase in the production of decorative objects coinciding with the rise in demand from wealthy patrons amongst the scholarly class and monied elite. Many of these works were adorned with, or took the shape of, auspicious symbols. The stone itself was traditionally considered to have sacred and spiritual qualities; during the Neolithic period, it was thought to impart immortality. Thus, the use of jade in the creation of objects designed to convey good wishes made for the perfect union of medium and message.

A remarkable selection of jades from the collection of Marianne and Isidore Cohn Jr. illustrate this practice. Fashioned into various forms – real and imagined animals, plants, human figures, utilitarian objects, and variations on ancient bronzes – these jades created during the Qing dynasty feature auspicious decoration. Expressing wishes for long life, wealth, happiness, numerous children, or advancement in one’s career, this imagery took the form of particular motifs, usually plants and animals such as the lotus or bats. Due to numerous homophones in Chinese there is great potential for punning – for example, the character for “happiness”, fu, has the same sound as “bat.” Consequently, bats are often found in the decorative schemes of porcelains and jades, either alone or in combination with other motifs.

These jades from the Cohn collection will be on view in the second floor Hyams Gallery from October 11, 2013 through February 23, 2014.

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Jades provided coutesy of Marianne and Isidore Cohn Jr.