Phoenix (Tang style)

This phoenix is carved from grayish-green jade with light mottling; the reddish brown areas have been artificially enhanced. The head is bent gracefully, and the tail feathers sweep upward and forward, curving above the crest. The circles around the eyes are deeply incised, in the same manner as those on the bird finial (B60 J344). The wings display three types of feathers, simply incised. The legs, in high relief, are shown on the vertical side of the body beneath the tail.

The phoenix is a mythical bird that would only alight on the wutong (Firmiana simplex) tree. Paired with the dragon, the phoenix symbolized the emperor and empress. In ancient China the phoenix was part of the decoration on the empress's headdress. Later on, it was used by women in general.

This type of phoenix with upswept tail feathers is traditionally dated to the Tang dynasty or earlier (d'Argencé, 1972, [page no.?], plate 31; see also Watt, [year?], [page no.?], plate 76; Fung and Yeung, [year?],100; Forsyth and McElney, [year], [page no.?], plate 174). Yang Boda believes that it belongs to the 1800s, a result of the interest in antiquity during that time.