East Asia, China, Han Dynasty, ca. 206 BCE to 220 CE. This is a stunning matched pair of nephrite jade ornamental ring shaped pendants, in the form of sinuous dragons. The stylized dragon head rests upon a curled tail; viewed in profile, the dragon has a pair of fangs and upturned nose, with horns and curling mane - note the openwork around the teeth and horns that are painstaking drilled and smoothed. The creator of both pieces had a tremendous level of skill to carve the minute details. The dragon heads taper to the ring body that gracefully circles upon itself - the dragon's teeth appear to bite the tail. In addition to the artistry and iconography, the jade itself is inherently beautiful, boasting sage green hues and marvelous translucency when held to the light. Size: 2" Diameter x 0.2" W (5.1 cm x 0.5 cm)

During the Han dynasty, jade symbolized wealth and elite class as well as respected virtues. Accessories like these examples were created to be pendants or attachments for clothing. Jade carved into dragon shapes that simultaneously possessed tiger-like attributes like this example were also used to decorate jade bi discs, stamps, and swords.

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection, acquired ca. 2019, from a dealer's private home collection; ex-Arts du Monde, brought into the USA prior to 2000

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#165575

Minor surface abrasions and nicks to both, with a larger chip on the brown mineral deposit on the body of one, otherwise both are intact and very good. White mineral deposits on the body of one as shown. Sharp details on both.