Despite the importance of astrology in Chinese culture, representations of the twelve zodiac animals are surprisingly rare, especially in jade. For other complete sets of twelve from the 18th century, see Jadeware (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 111 (fig. 1), each piece measuring slightly smaller in size (3.1 - 3.3 cm. high); and for another set in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, see Investigations and Studies in Jade, New York, 1906, no. 730. Two of the figures - a horse and a rat - were sold in these Rooms, 29 November 2005, lot 1569; and a single figure of the ram was included in the exhibition, Chinese Jades from the Mu-Fei Collection, Bluett & Sons, London, 1990, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 68. Another set of twelve from the later Qing dynasty, is illustrated in A Romance with Jade from the De An Tang Collection, Hong Kong, 2005, pl. 76.