AN EXCEPTIONAL SET OF TWENTY PALE CELADON JADE 'DEER' BELT PLAQUES MING DYNASTY |

comprising twenty reticulated plaques, six peach-shaped, twelve rectangular and two rectangular with a rounded short side, delicately decorated in openwork with deer resting amongst pine, bamboo, prunus and lingzhi, against a diapered ground, four smaller rectangular plaques reticulated with lingzhi springing from a jagged rock

The set of plaques is in good condition with expected minute nibbling and occasional nicks along the edges, some may be slightly polished, including a lightly polished nick on a corner of one of the longer plaques. This exceptional set of plaques is very well preserved.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Complete sets of jade belt plaques are unusual and the present example is particularly notable for its intricate carving of deer among flowering prunus, bamboo and pine trees. These jade plaques would have been sewn together with cloth or leather to form a belt, and constituted an important part of rank insignia for Ming dynasty officials. According to official regulations, officials of the First Rank wore belts made of 20 plaques, while Emperors of 22 plaques.

A set of twenty belt plaques similarly carved with deer, excavated from the tomb at Jiaoqiao, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, now in the collection of the Jiangxi Provincial Museum, is illustrated in Gu Fang, Zhongguo chutu yuqi quanji: Jiangxi / The Complete Collection of Unearthed Jades in China: Jiangxi, Beijing, 2005, vol. 9, pl. 130; and another set comprising 16 plaques, is illustrated in Jades from the Hei-Chi Collection, Beijing, 2006, pl. 184, and sold in these rooms, 8th April 2010, lot 2030. See also a rectangular plaque carved with deer included in the exhibition Chinese Jade: An Important Private Collection, Spink & Son Ltd, London, 1991, cat. no. 82.

Jade plaques carved with this motif were also made in the preceding Yuan dynasty; see for example a rectangular plaque unearthed from Xilin Temple, Songjiang district, Shanghai, illustrated in Jade Wares of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Unearthed from Shanghai, Shanghai, 2001, pl. 48.