Carving from altar screen

The Chinese term for Jade or Yü covers a large array of stones that were believed to have the ability to communicate directly with heavenly powers by means of transcendental properties, in contrast to the accepted mineralogical classification of western gemologists who confine the term Jade to three varieties: Nephrite, Jadeite, and Chloromelanite. Although these three are equally prized by the Chinese, the deliberate choice of using chloromelanite in this particular case is notable. Besides its remarkable hardness and ferruginous qualities, its dark green, almost black color, is ideal to connote that this type of jade is imbued with the vital energy of the Yang principle that is well expressed in the vibrant carving of the dragon. During the early Ming period, the dark mottled green or Ji Yü, as opposed to pale green and rust-brown jade, was chosen for the large carvings such as altar screens. The jade carver of that period certainly took advantage of the natural color to accentuate the intricacy and strength of the dragon motif. It was during the Ming reign that the finest works of the dragon originated. Intricately adorned carvings of dragon reached the height of perfection. This fragment from a Ming Imperial household's altar screen has a strong and graceful yet bold rugged structure of dragon scales and the swirling clouds, and is obviously from the Hung-wu reign, in the early Ming period, when there was an emergence of a more definite and less composite type. The size of the carvings was on a larger scale than those from the previous periods. Objects like this altar screen were carved with high undercut relief, uniquely from this period, which witnessed the return of decorative mythological symbols created from previous times. Altar sets of characteristic Ming design formed an essential part of the Imperial household and the temples. In ancient times, the Chinese Emperors announced their succession to the throne on five tablet of jade offered up on the altar of the great nature deities of Heaven and Earth