In Chinese legend, Liu Bang, Emperor Gaozu of the Han dynasty, was once assisted by a divine turtledove to escape from his arch rival Xiang Yu, and became a symbol of benevolent rule and heavenly protection. Compare a jade turtledove, also with a small head to body proportion, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 4, Beijing, 2011, p.182, no.238. |Carvings of jade turtledoves were typically used as staff pommels and were popular during the Han dynasty. Compare a jade turtledove staff pommel, the crown with a similar single long feather, in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, illustrated in Art in Quest of Heaven and Truth – Chinese Jades Through the Ages, Taipei, 2012, p.38, pl.3-3-36.|青色玉質，質地溫潤，雕一鳥作蹲伏狀，頭部突出，有一花冠自鳥首向背部延伸，身上琢出勾轉的平行線紋以示其翅膀，身下有收縮的足部，鳥尾刻出下垂的尾羽，形象生動，工藝精巧。|此類臥鳩流行於漢代中期至東漢，用途為鳩杖的杖頂。北京故宮博物院藏一玉臥鳩可資參考，見《故宮博物院藏品大系:玉器編4:漢魏晉南北朝》，北京，2011年，頁182，編號238。另見台北國立故宮博物院藏一例，見《敬天格物：中國歷代玉器》，台北，2012年，頁38，圖版3-3-36。