Jade group pendant

[Jade group pendant]

Jade group pendant, late Ming Dynasty, 53.6 cm in length. The old collection of the Qing Palace
The pendant is made of 53 jade ornaments. On the upper part, there is a jade button assembly pendant of the longevity star riding crane style, under which there is a gold beam, and both ends of the beam are faucets. There are four strings of jade chips hanging under the beam, each of which consists of five groups from the top to the bottom, facing each other horizontally. Each of the four groups of jade ornaments has three pieces, of which two are jade leaves and one is jade carving. The jade carving pieces are respectively “Swastika”, “Shou”, “Phoenix”, “Double Fish”, “Double Peaches”, “Huagai” and “Kirin”. The fifth group is a single jade minister. This kind of jade ornaments in groups came into being very early, similar to the “miscellaneous ornaments” in the Book of Songs. According to different parts, jade pieces are called “honing”, “ju”, “yu”, and “chong ya”, which are worn on the human body. When walking, the jade pieces touch and make a sound. There are many sets of jade pendants unearthed in the tombs of the Ming Dynasty. For example, there are similar sets of jade pendants in Dingling Tomb. The white jade used in this group of jade pendants is of fine quality and exquisite processing. It is the best of the palace jade.

玉组佩局部