A YELLOW AND RUSSET JADE ‘FISH DRAGON’ PENDANT QING DYNASTY, 18TH – 19TH CENTURY

carved coiling with its muzzle touching its tail, the yellowish stone with russet highlights

The form and subject matter of this piece were influenced by Neolithic jade pendants in the form of coiled dragons with a long horn, such as one attributed to the Hongshan culture (c.3500-2200 BC), in the East Asian Art Museum, Bath, illustrated in Jades from China, Bath, 1994, pl. 7.