A Rare Carved and Reticulated Pale Celadon-White Jade 'Dragon' Belt Plaque, Yuan to Early Ming Dynasty, 14th-16th Century

Estimated value: £4,000 - £6,000. A Rare Carved and Reticulated Pale Celadon-White Jade 'Dragon' Belt Plaque, Yuan to Early Ming Dynasty, 14th-16th Century (Yuan to Early Ming Dynasty (14th–16th Century)) — a researched valuation with cited comparable sales in Asian Art, from findthevalueof.com.

About this item

In imperial China, few materials carried greater philosophical, ritual, and political weight than nephrite jade. Coveted for its tactile warmth, unyielding density, and subtle luminosity, jade was codified by Confucian scholars as the ultimate material embodiment of moral virtue. During the Yuan (1271–1368) and Ming (1368–1644) dynasties, these philosophical ideals were formally integrated into court regalia and sumptuary laws. Belts composed of multiple carved jade plaques—termed yudai ban or ge dai—were legally restricted to the emperor, imperial princes, and first-rank civil and military officials. To wear an openwork jade belt carved with a dragon was an overt declaration of supreme sociopolitical authority and personal favor from the throne. Crafting a reticulated plaque of this complexity represented an extraordinary investment of time and material. Working from nephrite boulders or pebbles sourced from the riverbeds of Khotan (Hetian) in Xinjiang, court lapidaries utilized hand-powered drills and manual wire saws lubricated with wet quartz and garnet slurries. Negative space was painstakingly cut away strand by strand to create a delicate diaper-pattern trellis ground, across which the vigorous, serpentine dragon seems to float suspended in air. This dual-layered relief not only showcased the carver's mastery over unyielding stone but also maximized the transmission of light, transforming a heavy slab into a luminous sculptural openwork. Following the fall of the imperial order, many historical court belts were disassembled, their individual plaques treasured as independent scholar's objects or remounted onto presentation boxes, screens, and ink rests during the late Qing and Republic eras. Surviving as an unmounted and complete individual plaque, this specimen connects the modern collector directly to the formal visual splendor of China's ruling elite, bridging the transition from early nomadic dynamism to the structured refinement of the Ming court.

How the value was reached

The valuation is anchored by verified past auction results for Yuan and Ming dynasty reticulated white jade dragon plaques at major and regional salerooms. Comparable prime benchmarks include a Yuan dynasty rectangular reticulated dragon plaque sold at Christie's London for £4,000, and a closely related Ming dynasty belt plaque sold at Sotheby's for £8,190, the latter benefiting from established diplomatic provenance. Conversely, an undocumented 'Ming style but possibly later' plaque realized £3,000 at Toovey's, demonstrating the conservative baseline for unprovenanced examples. Based on a conservative low estimate of £4,000, a standard recommended reserve is £3,200 (80%), with estimated net proceeds of approximately £3,400 to £5,100 after standard 10–15% vendor commissions.

Comparable sales

Expert notes

This plaque is an accomplished and well-preserved example of Chinese lapidary art displaying stylistic and technical markers consistent with the Yuan to early Ming dynasty. Before offering the piece at auction, two specific physical verifications are strongly advised: first, a microscopic inspection of the reverse under raking light to definitively examine the drill apertures and determine whether paired ox-nose stitching holes are present; second, a gemological test for specific gravity to confirm nephrite composition and verify that the brownish crevice deposits represent authentic age accretion rather than simulated patination.

This report is one of the worked examples in our guide What is your jade worth?.