.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
The characters surrounding the yinyang symbol represent the Eight Trigrams. The four characters on the reverse may be read, ping ding he fu ('an amulet wishing peace, stability and harmony'). The characters on the two sides of the yoke may be read, tong xin ('hearts joined') and yong fu ('forever prosperous'), indicating that this pendant may have been a wedding gift.
Tallies, also known as fu, have their origins in ancient China, and many of the earliest examples were fashioned from bronze in the form of tigers. Known simply as 'tiger tallies', they were crafted in two mirror pieces, and were used as methods of authentication or identification. One half would be held by a particular individual, and the second half by another, who would present the matching half as a means of assuring his or her identity or right to pass or enter. Tallies made from precious materials were typically reserved for individuals of the highest rank.
Compare a related white jade archaistic tally in the Qing Court Collection (fig. 1), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum-Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 20-1, no. 16. While of a different shape, the illustrated example can be seen to lock in the same manner as the present 'tally'. See, also, the white jade archaistic 'tally' half from the collection of Stephen Junkunc, III, sold in these rooms, 17 September 2000, lot 592.
Tallies, also known as fu, have their origins in ancient China, and many of the earliest examples were fashioned from bronze in the form of tigers. Known simply as 'tiger tallies', they were crafted in two mirror pieces, and were used as methods of authentication or identification. One half would be held by a particular individual, and the second half by another, who would present the matching half as a means of assuring his or her identity or right to pass or enter. Tallies made from precious materials were typically reserved for individuals of the highest rank.
Compare a related white jade archaistic tally in the Qing Court Collection (fig. 1), illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum-Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 20-1, no. 16. While of a different shape, the illustrated example can be seen to lock in the same manner as the present 'tally'. See, also, the white jade archaistic 'tally' half from the collection of Stephen Junkunc, III, sold in these rooms, 17 September 2000, lot 592.