Jade Mandarin Ducks

Period: the reigns of King Zhao and King Mu of the Western Zhou Dynasty.

Excavated in 1985 from the Liutai Site in Jiyang, Shandong Province, the artefact is now preserved in Jiyang County Museum.

The jade is bluish white with yellow patches. Fine incised lines run all over the body with smooth strokes. The bird features a hooked beak and round eyes, a curved neck and raised breast. It has full plumage and folded limbs. A double-sided drilled hole pierces the chest.