A WHITE JADE DRAGON PENDANT, HAN DYNASTY

A WHITE JADE 'DRAGON' PENDANT, HAN DYNASTY
Jade. China, Han dynasty, 2nd century BC to 2nd century AD
The flattened pendant is well carved as a fierce dragon, its back slightly arched, the furcated tail terminating in a curled tip, the mouth wide open revealing sharp fangs, the body and features neatly incised, the center with a circular sunken element pierced with Chinese characters.
The translucent stone is of a white tone with brownish-gray shadings and small areas of opaque calcification.
Literature comparison:
Compare a related jade plaque from the Myers collection, dated to the late Eastern Zhou period, published in Fillippo Salviati, Radiant Stones: Archaic Chinese Jades, 2004, Honkong, no. 108 and on the cover.
LENGTH 10.8 cm
Provenance:
Private Collection of Irene and Wolfgang Zacke (1942-2022).