A BLACK JADE 'DEER' PLAQUE, JIN TO YUAN DYNASTY China, 13^th-14^th century. Of flattened form, finely carved in openwork to depict a magnificent deer with imposing ten-point antlers, surrounded by branches bearing neatly incised leaves as well as lingzhi mushrooms. The opaque stone of a blackish-brown tone with cloudy gray inclusions.

Provenance: US trade in New Braunfels, Texas.
Condition: Very good condition with minor old wear and minuscule nibbles here and there.

Weight: 114.4 g
Dimensions: Length 8.7 cm

The deer depicted on the present plaque is a ten-pointer, a term referring to the exact number of antler tines. Deer with such large antlers were highly valued by hunters during the Jin and Yuan dynasties. For this reason, it seems reasonable to assume that the present plaque was made for someone either of high position or of noble descent.



金至元黑玉鹿紋佩
中國，十三至十四世紀。鏤空雕刻鹿紋，雄鹿昂首挺立，體態健美雄壯，朝向前方，其鹿角與左側樹幹相連。黑褐色的不透明玉石，帶有内沁。

來源：德克薩斯新布朗費爾斯古玩交易。
品相：狀況極好，有輕微的磨損和零星的磕損。

重量：114.4 克
尺寸：長 8.7 厘米

玉佩場面異常活潑、生動，情趣盎然，展現了北方少數民族不同的生活內容，具有濃郁的地方特色和民族風格，很可能是為高位貴族所製。