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Left: length; 10.5 cm,
width; 3.9 cm, height; 5.3 cm Right: length; 10.3
cm, width; 3.8 cm, height; 5.15
cm
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The original light green jade is visible where one of the
horns of the rams was chipped, but even much of it too
appears mottled brownish-yellow in color. Traces of textile
and cinnabar are also still visible in the details. This
pair of stocky rams appears standing with their heads
slightly lowered. The compact features, such as the horns
and short legs, suggest that they were carved originally
from rectangular blocks of jade. The eyes were also rendered
simply as round forms, and a coarse line represents the
mouth. The bodies are undecorated with only abbreviated
descriptions to suggest the torso, limbs, and hooves. Even
traces of the carving are still apparent on the
undersides.
The first part of the late Shang dynasty (also known as the
early Yin-hsu Phase) is marked by numerous sculptures of
animals, which are mostly covered by various spirit-cloud
patterns and designs. Few are undecorated. A jade like this
pair is in the Sedgwick collection, and a jade bear in a
Japanese collection has, in addition to its plain and stocky
features, eyes rendered in a similar
manner.