China, c. 6th-5th century BC. The plaque of rectangular form, each corner with a drilled aperture, and one side incised with interlacing scroll and rope-twist designs. The ceremonial axe pendant of typical form with rounded cutting edge and drilled with an aperture for suspension to the upper end, both sides incised with a taotie mask and with a Wang character ('king') centered between the eyebrows. (2)

Provenance:
The plaque: Collection of Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) and thence by descent to his widow Irene Beasley. Collection of Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964), acquired from the above c. 1939 and thence by descent in the same family. Harry Geoffrey Beasley (1881-1939) was a British anthropologist and museum curator who developed an important ethnographic collection during the early 20th century that is now held in various British museums. With his wife Irene, Beasley set up the Cranmore Ethnographical Museum which eventually held more than 6,000 objects of ethnographical interest. Alfred William Cowperthwaite (1890-1964) was a contributor to the Cranmore Museum and became good friends with Harry Beasley. Shortly after Harry Beasley's death, he acquired a number of objects from Irene Beasley, including the present plaque.

The axe: Formerly part of an important collection of archaic Chinese bronzes, built by three generations of the Chasseloupe-Laubat family in France. One side with an old collector's number '45'. Prosper de Chasseloup-Laubat (1805-1873), was a prominent aristocrat, politician, and art collector who became Minister of the French Navy and the Colonies under Napoleon III, traveling extensively through all of Asia. His son Louis (1863-1954), an engineer in ship design, significantly expanded the family collection, also during his frequent travels throughout Asia. François (1904-1968), Prosper's grandson, eventually inherited the family passion and became a renowned explorer and participant in the Hoggar Expedition. He was the first French explorer to reach English Malaysia, bringing back previously unpublished documents on the isolated Sakai tribes. As a collector, François Chasseloupe-Laubat was advised by Jean Claude Moreau-Gobard, an important French collector and dealer specializing in Asian art.

Published: J.C. Moreau-Gobard, Chine - Terres cuites, 1 July 1965, p. 6, no. 3 (the axe).

Condition: Overall good condition with wear, minor signs of weathering and erosion, minute nibbling to edges, natural fissures.

Weight: 20.8 g and 10 g
Dimensions: Length 4.9 cm and 4.6 cm

Literature comparison:
Compare three pairs of related jade plaques, each decorated with similar motifs and also pierced to the corners, dated Eastern Zhou dynasty, 6th-5th century BC, in The British Museum, registration numbers 1945.1017.152-153, BM 1945.1017.11-12, and BM 1935.0115.9-10.