White jade. China, Qing-Dynasty, 18th to 19th cent.
A rectangular white jade amulet, best craftsmanship, with a greenish inclusion and partial red-yellow iron oxidation. A large section with an uncanny, precisely symmetrical grain pattern, known as guwen in China, with a large border on both sides. Above it, heavily stylized in an archaistic manner, are mythical animals, presumably phoenixes, arranged on opposite sides and with their heads facing each other. Between them is the small eyelet. The tails of the animals encompass the entire grain-field. Very good condition and beautiful translucency.
SIZE 6,4 x 4 CM
From an Austrian-Hungarian private collection