Jade stag
- Audio guide stop: 639
- Gallery: Room 68
- Culture: Zhou dynasty
- Date: 1100BC-901BC (circa)
- Object type: figure
- Materials: jade
- Museum number: 1947,0712.466
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands a graceful Jade Stag, a small but striking figure carved from green jade. The vivid color comes from natural pigmentation, a hallmark of craftsmanship from its time.
This artwork was created during the Zhou dynasty, around 1100 to 901 BC. It measures just over five centimeters in height and width, yet captures the poised elegance of its subject with careful, deliberate form.
Such animal figures were often made for use in ritual or as symbols of status. The stag in particular was a significant creature in Chinese culture, representing nobility and grace.
This Jade Stag was brought to the museum in 1947 as a bequest from Henry J. Oppenheim. Now, it invites you to consider the artistry and symbolism of ancient China’s past.
See it in person
Jade stag is on display in Room 68 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and type its audio guide stop number, 639, from the gallery label, or take a photo of it, to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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