Published & Exhibited: S. Marchant & Son, 85th Anniversary Exhibition of Chinese Jades from Tang to Qing, London, 2010, p. 46, cat. no. 25.

China, 13^th-14^th century. Of oval form, intricately carved with three chrysanthemum flowerheads between two open-winged bats amid scrolling branches and leaves, encircled by twenty-five stylized pearls, with fine detail to the flowerheads, scrolls on the bats’ wings, and hairwork along their spines. The translucent stone of a pale celadon tone with cloudy inclusions and few dark specks.

Provenance: The collection of an old German noble family, purchased in China between 1900 and 1920. S. Marchant & Son, London, 2010. Dr. Kenneth P. Lawley, acquired from the above. Marchant & Son was founded in 1925 by Samuel Sydney Marchant (1897-1975). It held a large stock of Asian art, but also dealt in arms and armor, paintings, and continental porcelain. In 1953, Richard Marchant joined his father and from that time onwards the partnership specialized in Asian art. Nowadays the company’s focus is on Imperial Chinese Ming and Qing porcelains, jades, cloisonné, pottery, and works of art. Dr Kenneth P. Lawley (1937-2023) was a chemical physicist in The School of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh. His collection started in the early 1960s, and for the first twenty-five years of his collecting career Dr. Lawley made the majority of his purchases from the Davies Street gallery of Bluett and Sons. Working within a fairly small budget – Lawley had a small private income as well as his emoluments from the University of Edinburgh – he often sold pieces back to the firm to finance more expensive purchases.
Condition: Good condition with minor wear, tiny nicks, and very tiny losses to extremities. One leaf partially indented, probably original to the making.

Weight: 89.6 g
Dimensions: Length 8.5 cm

Chrysanthemum (juhua) represents autumn and is the flower of the ninth moon and a symbol of longevity because of its reputed health-giving properties. It blooms when most flowers wither under the onslaught of an early frost. Bats (fu) are a symbol for blessings.

Literature comparison:
Compare a related carved belt slide, from the collection of Dr. and Mrs. Cheng Te-k’un, illustrated by James C. Y. Watt in Chinese Jades from Han to Ch’ing, The Asia Society, New York, 1980, no. 175, p. 190, 193. Compare a related pair of round dragon buckles and a rectangular one, again with similar stylized pearl border, dated to the Song dynasty, illustrated by Yang Boda in The Collection of Chinese Jades from the Palace Museum, Beijing, Vol. 5, no. 79-80, p. 44-45.

Auction result comparison:
Type: Closely related
Auction: Christie’s New York, 21 March 2013, lot 824
Price: USD 21,250 or approx. EUR 26,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing
Description: A large white jade openwork "spring water" oval plaque, Yuan/early Qing dynasty, 14th-18th century
Expert remark: Compare the closely related manner of carving and style with similar openwork and pearl border. Note the size (10.2 cm) and different subject.