Ming to Qing Dynasty, China, ca. 1368 to 1912 CE. This is a jade (nephrite) carving of some kind of animal; it may be a chimera, with a fish- or amphibian-like head (there might be gills atop the head) and then a crouched pose more reminiscent of a cat with a long thin tail over its back. Size: 2.25" L x 1" W x 1.25" H (5.7 cm x 2.5 cm x 3.2 cm).

Chinese art has incorporated jade since the Neolithic period; quarries for nephrite, the formal name for jade, have been found in modern-day southern Mongolia that date to ca. 4000 BCE. The stone was prized for its hardness, its beautiful coloration (with a milky white being the most desired), and its durability. By the third millennium BCE, we know that jade had also come to be associated with immortality. Jade was used to make everything from everyday household objects and decoration to the ceremonial suits in which Han dynasty emperors were buried – with the belief that jade would preserve the body and the soul for eternity.

Provenance: Ex-Paul and Louise Bernheimer collection, Cambridge, MA and Laguna Woods, CA., acquired before 1980.

All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back.

A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids.

We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience.

#111927

Wear but the shape is still clear.