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Lot Essay
White jade pendants were highly prized during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911), serving as personal adornments, tokens of affection, and diplomatic gifts. The wearing and gifting of jade reflected moral virtue, noble status, and aspirations for good fortune.
Finely carved from flawless white jade of even tone, this pendant is decorated on one side with four of the Eight Buddhist Emblems—the parasol, dharma wheel, conch shell, and victory banner—beneath an inverted bat. The depiction of a bat upside down is a deliberate visual pun derived from the homophony between dao (倒, ‘upside down’) and dao (到, ‘to arrive’), conveying the auspicious wish for the ‘arrival of blessings’ (fu dao). The reverse is carved with the remaining four Buddhist emblems—the endless knot, treasure vase, lotus flower, and the golden fish—and two characters in seal script reading, ji xiang (吉祥), meaning ‘good fortune” or ‘auspiciousness.’
Finely carved from flawless white jade of even tone, this pendant is decorated on one side with four of the Eight Buddhist Emblems—the parasol, dharma wheel, conch shell, and victory banner—beneath an inverted bat. The depiction of a bat upside down is a deliberate visual pun derived from the homophony between dao (倒, ‘upside down’) and dao (到, ‘to arrive’), conveying the auspicious wish for the ‘arrival of blessings’ (fu dao). The reverse is carved with the remaining four Buddhist emblems—the endless knot, treasure vase, lotus flower, and the golden fish—and two characters in seal script reading, ji xiang (吉祥), meaning ‘good fortune” or ‘auspiciousness.’