Antique Chinese Carved Agate Cicada Pendant 19c Qing

Antique Chinese rock crystal snuff bottle, finely carved in low relief with a lotus scene to one side and a scroll in flowing ribbons to the other, with tiger's eye stopper and bone spoon...

A large Chinese Suzhou workshop master artisan hand carved jadeite (natural A-grade) pendant in the form of Zhong Kui (Demon Queller in Chinese mythology) head. The details of this i...

A Carved Jade Toggle in the Form of a Recumbent Dog China, Qing Dynasty (1644-1912) or earlier A finely carved nephrite jade toggle in the form of a recumbent dog, portrayed in a...

Elegant, rare, and dating to the late Qing period (circa 1890s), this hand-carved nearly colorless white nephrite plaque has been etched on both sides. One one, the Chinese mythological figure known as Zhang Guo Lao is depicted riding a mule. On the opposite side, a magpie sits on a branch of cherry blossoms. The magpie is associated with intelligence. The carving is breathlessly simple and excellent; the work executed -of course- without the aid of electricity or modern tools. Measuring 42.54mm x 29.92mm, the plaque has a hole drilled through the center, which is original to the piece. A silver bail is threaded through the hole and a pair of beads -black jade and coral- reside at the bottom. The jade plaque hands from a 1920s silver chain that is 32" in length. Prior to the discovery of and appreciation for the very fine green jadeite from Burma, colorless, opaque, pure white nephrite jade from the Northern mountains of China was the most revered jade; the original "imperial jade, as only members of the royal court could wear or even touch it. Most of what is commercially sold today as "mutton fat...