Bird-shaped Jade Pendant
Shang Dynasty (1766-1122
B.C.)
Length:          11.35cm
Width:             5.0 cm
Thickness:       0.3 cm
     Jade pendants were 
regarded since antiquity 
as a symbol of the superior 
man.  It is possible that 
this pendant in the shape 
of a bird also had a 
totemistic function. A 
dragon surmounting an 
owl is a typical motif of 
the late Shang period.