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Amulet in the Form of a Seated Figure with Bovine Head
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
With a bovine head and four horns, this seated figurine was a powerful ritual and shamanic symbol. Drill holes above its shoulders form two interconnected perforations for suspension, suggesting that the jade was originally used as a pendant, presumably by the shaman performing the tasks of journeying to and communicating with the supernatural realms.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineAmulet in the Form of a Seated Figure with Bovine Head (牛首玉人), c. 4700–2920 BCE. Northeast China, Neolithic period, probably Hongshan culture (4700–2920 BCE). Jade (nephrite); 14.6 x 6 x 4.1 cm (5 3/4 x 2 3/8 x 1 5/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Severance A. Millikin, 1953.628
