Carved sash plaque

This ornamental plaque is carved in openwork and encloses a lively scene of two wild geese with elongated necks amid a lotus pond. Although this is a semi-naturalistic design, the shapes of the elements are rigid; the lotus leaves and buds are stiff. The edge of the plaque and the overall thickness are very uneven; in a couple of areas on the edge, the stone is chipped off. The aesthetic quality of this beautiful carving is regrettably diminished by a diagonal section of dark stain in the middle of the piece, probably from the calcification of the stone. The lotus motif in carved jade appeared as early as the Tang dynasty (9th century A.D.). It has usually been used as a sacred symbol in Buddhist art. A lotus pond with a pair of wild geese signifies conjugal bliss. Because wild geese always fly in pairs, and mate for life they symbolize the married state. The goose, like the mythical phoenix, is a bird that embodies the character of Yang. The depressed concave oval-shaped form of the plaque and its deep but jagged carving lines are stylistic features typical of the relatively late Ming period. Despite the carver's effort to show movements and life in the depiction of flowers and animals, the jade carvings of the late Ming gradually lost the intricacy of decoration of their predecessors