The plume holder or, linguan, was a jewel placed just below the finial at the apex of the conical court hat, which was to fasten the peacock and other feathers indicating rank. However, unlike the other elements of the hat which were determined by protocol, the feather holder could be made in base metal, nephrite or porcelain. These more modest materials would have been used by cash strapped officials for whom the court dress could cost as much as three years salary (Wrigglesworth and Dickinson, Imperial Wardrobe, p.32). Conversely, among the wealthy aristocracy, expensive materials were used, the most costly being jadeite. Thus, the superb quality of the linguan offered suggests that it was commissioned by a rich and powerful member of the Imperial court.

This plume holder is probably unique by virtue of its flawlessness, its almost completely even green colour, and its excellent translucency. Plume holders of gem quality were usually converted into jewellery after the fall of the Qing dynasty. While jewellery made from fragments of these objects occasionally appear at auction, this is the finest complete example that has been offered to date.

For a partially green plume holder in the Imperial collection of the National Palace Museum in Taipei, see the Exhibition of Qing Dynasty Costume Accessories, Catalogue, p.111, no.31, as well as the magnificent bar brooch made from an equally translucent but less saturated green linguan fragment, sold in these rooms for HKD 3.5 million, May 1 1995, lot 910