A superbly carved archaistic jade 'winged dragon' plaque and carved wood stand Qing dynasty, 18th century | 清十八世紀 摩羯玉璧

Skilfully fashioned to follow the form of the round pebble and avoid unnecessary wastage of the jade stone, this piece is unusual in its combination of an archaic form, with elements characteristic of Ming dynasty (1368-1633) carved jade, such as the exaggerated features, choice of mottled stone and subject matter. Small jade ornaments in the form of coiled dragons are known from as early as the Neolithic period and gained popularity particularly during the Shang dynasty, as evidenced by the numerous examples excavated at the tomb of the royal consort Fu Hao in Yinxu, Hebei, illustrated in The Jades from Yinxu, Beijing, 1981, pls. 1-4. The Qing carvers adopted this form to depict the popular subject of the fish transforming into a dragon while leaping though the rapids of the Dragon Gate, a metaphor to passing the Civil Service examinations.

Compare a jade dragon disc in the British Museum, London, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, fig. 91a, together with a smaller white jade example, pl. 25:36; another small white jade pendant sold at Christie’s New York, 23rd March 2012, lot 1854; a third attributed to the Song dynasty (960-1279), published in H. D’Ardenne de Tizac, Les Animaux dans l’Art Chinois, Paris, 1922, pl. XL; and a further disk attributed to the 17th century, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27th May 2009, lot 1988.