Period: Western Zhou dynasty(1046-771 B.C)
Dimensions: W. 4.3 cm, Base Dia. 3.1 cm, THK. 0.5 cm, H. 2.2 cm
Provenance: No. M2001 burial pit of the Guo state tomb at Sanmenxia, 1990

Made of the Xiuyan jade from the Liaoning province of China, light brown in color, with fine texture, glossy surface. The object is tilted tubular in shape, its front side is prominent like the tip of the nose, the cross section is oval, the wall of the backside is short, with a vertical ridge in the central part, no perforation beside the ridge was found.

Jade She was generally known as “jade thumb ring”. She was originally used to be worn on the archer’s right thumb to pull the bowstring. The earliest jade example was discovered dating back to the late Shang dynasty, the form matured in the Western Zhou dynasty, and it gains popularity in the Spring and Autumn to the Warring States period; in Han dynasty, She-shaped jade pendant evolved into an indicator of the rank or status of the wearer.

Jade Shes were mostly found in the high-grade tombs of the royal house members, just like the Guo state tomb complex, which attests to the fact the jade she served not only as the emblem of high aristocracy, but also the indicator of political power and status.