QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Details

A RARE WHITE JADE 'ZODIAC' PENDANT PLAQUE
QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)
The plaque is carved in low relief with a zodiac figure with the head of an ox and a human body, wearing long robes and holding a fly whisk. The reverse is carved with the character 'chou' (cyclical year) in seal script enclosed within a shaped cartouche. The plaque is surmounted with a Buddhist swastika symbol flanked by two catfish to one side, lingzhi sprays to the reverse.
2 ¼ in. (5.8 cm.) long

Provenance

The Dizang Studio Collection, Taipei, acquired from a private Taiwanese collection.

Special notice

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Lot Essay

The Year of the Ox, represented by the Earthly Branch symbol chou, signifies the second of the twelve-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac. See a complete set of twelve jade carvings depicting all the zodiac figures from the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Jadeware (III), vol. 42, Hong Kong, 1995, no. 111, pp. 132-133. These humanoid animals are celebrated as guardian figures of their representative year, and they each hold an auspicious attribute, with the ox carrying the fly whisk as depicted on the current lot.

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