Chinese Light Beige Jade Dragon Spoon

~ Chinese Light Beige Jade Dragon Spoon ~

A small carved jade spoon or ladle, the bowl section worked as a deep oval recess at one end, with the handle continuing as a stylised dragon or mythical beast head with carved linear detailing to suggest scales or features. The handle is pierced with a narrow slot/aperture, a feature both decorative and likely functional (possibly for suspension or attachment to a cord). The stone is of a pale, creamy celadon tone with a soft, slightly waxy lustre and small natural inclusions consistent with nephrite jade. The carving is simple but confident, using the natural form of the stone to suggest the recumbent body of the creature trailing back from the bowl.

Historical Context

Small jade spoons and ladles of this type have a long tradition in Chinese decorative arts, often produced as toiletry or scholar's desk items (for example, for use with ink, cosmetic powders, or medicinal preparations), as well as purely decorative miniatures reflecting the long-standing Chinese reverence for jade as a material of virtue and refinement. The use of a dragon or mythical beast head as a handle terminal is a recurring decorative device, drawing on the dragon's auspicious symbolism of power, protection and good fortune. Similar small jade utility items, sometimes called "ruyi" spoons or medicine spoons, were produced across the Qing dynasty and into the early 20th century, both for practical use and as part of a wider Chinese export and domestic taste for finely worked small jade objects. Without a maker's mark or definitive provenance, a precise date cannot be fixed with confidence, though the style and carving are consistent with late Qing dynasty or early Republic period production.

~ Condition ~

The piece is in good order.

~ Dimensions ~

The piece is 7 cm (2.75 inches) in length.

JA_#131253/6AO_952195219