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China, Warring States period (475–221 BCE) to Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE) / 300–100 BCE

The Kill

The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs The Kill as painting (China, Warring States period (475–221 BCE) to Western Han dynasty (206 BCE–8 CE) · 300–100 BCE).

WHY IT’S INTERESTING

The marine clam species to which this shell belongs is exclusive to the western Pacific Ocean near China, Japan, the Philippines, and the East Indies.

SERENDIPITYA little unexpected

FamiliarWeird

A CLOSER LOOK

The museum identifies this painting as Painted clamshell.

The museum's collection notes: The inside of this shell preserves the earliest, extant figure paintings in Chinese history.

FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE

The Cleveland Museum of ArtThe Kill

Original explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.