Another Dragon for Dragon Year 2012

I had forgotten all about this seal which I had purchased in Phnom  Penh some years back. So glad I rediscovered it in time for the lunar new year because it features a dragon made of quartz crystal.

 Although this is not a Chinese dragon but a Khmer dragon I still think it is appropriate for this Lunar New Year season. In Khmer mythology a dragon is known as Naga or Neak.

What a cool dragon or or should I say  dragoness.....is she the Princess dragon of Khmer mythology........?

LITTLE HIDDEN DRAGON

I am ringing in Lunar New Year 2012 with this tiny jade dragon. This is no ferocious fire spitting dragon. He is quiet and mysterious - he must be Hidden Dragon :))

Measuring 3.5 cm x 0.8cm it is indeed a tiny dragon you may also call it  Kid dragon :))  Made from a thin slab of yellow jade its zoomorphic appearance seems to   indicate a very early birth. It may even be considered a Shang or Zhou hopeful ( 13th-10th centuryBC). Here's the reverse view of hidden, kid dragon

Look at it from upside down, and its still the auspicious dragon that I so love !

I had it attached to a Chinese silk cord and it is all ready to wear and greet the new year.

And here is an illuminated view of jade dragon

O Hidden Kid Dragon my wish is for Health and Happiness to All this Lunar New Year !

JADE JUE EAR ORNAMENTS

This is a pair of tiny jade jue ear ornaments I bought in China. Perhaps they are not even a matched pair as one is slightly larger than the other.

There is a piece of old quartz trapped/lodged in between the opening of the larger jue

According to one net source, this maybe a ploy employed by fakers to trick buyers into believing the antiquity of the object. The source also described a sure proof way to test whether the quartz was placed there by an ingenious forger. To try out the test I got myself a sharp tooth pick and pried at the quartz with all my strength. As it did not give way, it might have been glued on very securely or else it is genuinely ancient. Still I guess if I use a sharp blade and work at it it just might give way. Meanwhile I am quite pleased with my ancient quartz stuck in my ancient jade jue.

What Id like to know is did nature place quartz and jade jue together and they bound  through the course of time or was the quartz used for polishing/grinding and got left behind ? Another thought that struck me, is that the placement of the quartz actually makes a convenient loop for attachment as earring.

Most jues are larger and I cant account for the smallness of this pair which measures 1.7cm for the larger and 1.5cm for the smaller. If ancient they could date to around Shang/Xizhou dynasty (1600-221 BC)

Because of its small size,  I do suspect that this pair may have been recarved from a larger piece of  broken ancient jade. However all the edges appear worn and indicate that there is some age to  them.

Finallly here is a pic of 7  jues which were collected from Vietnam

The two jues at the bottom right are made of glass and not jade. These Vietnamese jues have a later date than the Chinese ones.

I LOVE COLLECTING....

Jade birds.......

From neolithic times to the present day, birds in their infinite variety and plumage have been carved on jade. These captivating jade birds have also caught my eye and in this post I will be showing a selection of favourites from my collection.

The nephrite birds in pic 1-3 are from Qing to early 20th century 

Pic 1  3 nephrite birds carved in semi circular style.

Pic 2 Pair of cranes in white nephrite

Measuring 6cm this pair of tall cranes could not have been hat or hair adornments. Perhaps they were originally used as inlays for furniture, boxes or screens.

Pic 3   A flock of  nephrite birds

The nephrite birds in Pic 3 are small flat pieces which have served a variety of uses from hairpins, headgear  to  hat and garment ornamentation.

The jadite birds in Pic 4-5 are of more recent origin and were probably meant to be used as pendants.

Pic 4 these look like turkeys.

Pic 5 Another large turkey

Pic 6  Pigeon or Doves ?

The jadite pigeon or doves in Pic 6 are jade applique sewn on to clothes.

Pic 7 Jadite bird among foliage

Here's a large heavy 5.5cm jadite pendant which is carved on both sides. One side shows a perky bird among foliage while the reverse depicts a chinese coin. It must have once graced the neck of some grand chinese dame.

Pic 8  Carved on both sides with reverse showing a coin

Pic9    Mini 2cm jade plaque with bird engraving

Pity this jade plaque in Pic 9 is a standalone. If I had a few more pieces I could make a pretty bracelet.

Pic  10 Large bird and little chick

The large bird in pic 10 is likely to be from Qing to early 20th century while little chick is a modern bird bead. Such new bird beads can be found in large quantity in the Guangzhou jade  market, shown below.

Pic11         New jade at Guangzhou jade market

Pic 12   More jade at jade market

Pic 13  Trio of old birds

I really love this trio of old birds in Pic13. These sweeties  have a solemn, dignified bearing and look like they have stepped out of the archaic age.  I'm going to make a wild guess that they maybe as early as Han time. Hah ! That's what I am secretly hoping :)  As a bonus they are also beads being perforated from crown to base.

Pic14    these 2 are modern

Pic 15  Pair of love birds from the Qing dynasty

And finally here's a pair of love birds from Qing dynasty which are also beads.

I LOVE COLLECTING.....

JADE AND CHALCEDONY RINGS......

The top, centre and bottom rings shown in pic 1 are chalcedony while the two rings on the left and right are probably nephrite.

Except for the centre ring which is flat,  all the rings have tapering sides. All the rings are undecorated and are well crafted, polished and beautiful in their plainess. Filippo Salviati writing in the Language of Adornment, said that such rings have been used in pectoral and necklace assemblages during the Zhou dynasty 1046-256 BC.

The pieces shown here, (if not fakes)  are likely to date from Warring States period  475-221BC, or later.

PIC 1

The 5 Rings shown in pic 2 are all flat and the top 4 rings are also unpolished.  I have been toying with the idea that these may be unworked pieces recovered from some ancient ring-making factory.There are toolmarks on the surfaces of all the rings.

The bottom one which is the only one polished is also more like a bi.

I think they are of the same vintage as the rings shown in Pic 1.

Pic 2

pic 3

Pic 3 shows a jade ring with twisted rope design which is typical of the Warring States Period 475-221BC. This ring was also discussed in a previous post http://baiyu-quietmuse.blogspot.com/2008/10/groovy-huan-ring.html . The jade has completely altered and the stone is covered with lovely patina.

I LOVE COLLECTING.....

.....Jade flowers....

The jade flowers I show in this post date from the Ming-Qing period(1368-1912 )  Carved in rosette or elongated shapes they were mostly used as hairpins, hair ornaments or formed parts of larger headgear. The smaller flowers shown in picture 4 could also have been used as buttons.

in rosette shapes pic 1

rosette shape  pic 2

rosette shape pic 3

rosette shape pic 4

elongated shapes pic 1

Year of the Rabbit 2011

Here comes the Bunnies ...

To usher in the year of the Rabbit are these 3 tiny rabbits purportedly from the Xizhou era(1027-771BC)

They are made in the true-blue Xizhou style of small zoomorphic animals which are carved from thin flat slabs of jade, turquoise and agate.

The largest piece made from turquoise measures 3x1.7cm.

The jade rabbit measures 3x1.5cm

while the smallest measures 2.3x0.5cm

The obverse of this rabbit has been completely eroded.

Judging from their  form and expression with crouching pose and large staring eyes I am rather hopeful of their being the real Mccoy. There are also toolmarks in the perforations and on the bodies. However toolmarks are tricky and I have yet to learn how to tell the authentic from the  forged. No matter how hard I look my head just goes groggy from trying to separate the genuine from the fake. So,  I'd just leave this factor to guessmate :)

So Bunnies may you all hop in with a rich Bounty of good Jian Kang and Ping An  for 2011, Year of the Rabbit !

LITTLE BOYS RED

These 2 cute carnelian boys have 2 drilled holes at each side for attachement. They were probably used as hat buttons for little children. Although similar, they are not identical, the chubbier boy on the left has a fringe while the smaller one does not.

The condition of the smaller piece was rather poor when I first bought it.

rather dark and dirty

But with a little soap and water the little fella has been restored to its original luster. Which goes to show that carnelian is a very hardy stone.

The backs are flat and plain.

They date from late Qing to 20th century and are popular with both local Han Chinese as well as minority groups.

Carnelian boys are also sometimes used as insets for silver accessories such as bracelets and hairpins. However I am not lucky to possess any piece in its orginal setting.

I salvaged mine from the local flea and the silver or hat originals must long have decayed. But still they are attractive and collectible.

SPIRAL COIL BEADS

These 2 coil beads were purchased at the same time as the chinese glass ornaments described in earlier two posts.

Here are some smaller specimens.

Previously I thought they belonged to the tradewind category and going as far back as the 12th century but now it looks like they are also Ming dynasty. According to the book Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu,  these coil beads are quite plentiful, (though ironically I have only this handful to show) and they are therefore lowly rated at only 3.

Here are some blue glass coil beads which are in better condition and with more turns. These were collected from South Vietnam but may have a similar vintage and origin as the Chinese coil beads. However these examples were not included in Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu.

Chinese Glass Ornaments 2

Blue Glass Ear Ornament

This sweet little blue glass thingy had been perplexing me ever since I bought it.

Neither pierced nor perforated, it is neither a bead nor a pendant  and is distinguished by a depression across the centre.

centre depression

The depression extends all the way to the back.

back view

It was purchased together with other Ming glass ornaments discussed in previous post. A more savvy collector could have guessed its use easily, but not an ignoramus like me !

Now thanks to Zhong Guo Gu Dai Bo Li Jian Shang Tu Lu,  I know  for sure that its an ear ornament. Here's how it could have been used originally:

Hah ! Mystery solved and case concluded :)

My only regret is it didn't prove to be as "rare and mysterious" as I had imagined. The book only gave it a rating of 3+  which means there must be many pieces out there for the taking.