Chinese Green Jade Belt Buckle hand carved high relief, 19th century. Beautiful Dark Green Natural Jade Stone with Darker Green to Black Veining has unique and beautiful characteristics. The buckle depicts a robed Shi Shi Lion holding a fan. Obverse is flat.
The buckle is 2 1/8" L x 1" W x 7/8" H and is in original condition.
Wonderful as a gift or an excellent addition to your Chinoiserie Collection. Can be used as a belt buckle as intended, decor accent piece or jewlery, strung on silk or leather cord and worn as a pendant. Comes in protective Blue Velvet Jewelry Pouch.
• Please view all photos for condition, as our opinion may differ from yours.
• Please see our shop policies on returns, exchanges & shipping.
• Please pay close attention to item descriptions and if you have questions about a selection, PLEASE message us & we will be glad to help!
Please visit our online shop www.luxecurations.com for more exciting new, vintage and antique decor and accessories!
DIMENSIONS: 2 1/8" L x 1" W x 7/8" H
MATERIAL: Jade
HISTORY & FACTS: The earliest archaeological evidence of belt hooks date to the 7th century BCE, in East Asia. Belt hooks were made with bronze, iron, gold, and jade.
Texts from Warring States period China claim that the belt hook originates from Central Asian nomads, although belt hooks have been found in China predating the Warring States. The equestrian tradition, initially foreign to China, was tightly related to wearing belted pants, thus belt hooks became one of the features of "barbaric" exoticism. As such, the hooks became an object of aesthetic contemplation. For example, Qu Yuan (ca.340-278 BCE) compares beautiful women to the belt hooks xianbei 鮮卑.
Chinese love of jade by comparing its qualities to the virtues of a gentleman, “esteemed by all under the Sun.” Xu Shen, an ancient Han scholar, listed the five virtues of jade as “charity, rectitude, wisdom, courage, and equity.”
Source Wikipedia
