LATE MING DYNASTY, 16TH -17TH CENTURY

Stylistically this unusual lock or fitting can be compared to jade plaques of Ming date in which a dragon is shown amidst lingzhi or flower scroll, such as the white jade square belt plaque carved in openwork and dated to the Ming dynasty, illustrated in Jades of Tang through Qing Dynasties, Taipei, 2002, pl. 59.