The rectangular plaque with canted corners is carved on one side with two incised characters, zhaijie, 'fasting and purification', enclosed within a cartouche, surrounded by an Indian-lotus meander, the reverse similarly decorated and inscribed in Manchu.
2³⁄₈ in. (6 cm.) high, box

Sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 29 April 2001, lot 592

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Lot Essay

Plaques of this type were thought to have been worn, suspended from the belt, to signify a reverence for specific occasions which the Emperor had to observe throughout the year when abstinence and fasting were part of the ritual. A number of these pendants were made of a variety of materials, such as the famille rose plaque included in the Hong Kong O.C.S. exhibition, Ch'ing Polychrome Porcelain, 1977, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 92; their function is always indicated by the inscription in both Chinese and Manchu.

Compare to other zhaijie pendants included in the National Palace Museum exhibition, Taipei, Qingdai fushi zhanlan tulu, 1986, p. 234, nos. 213 and 214, of jadeite and tourmaline respectively. Two other examples were sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, the first of tortoiseshell included in the Magnificent Jadeite Jewellery sale, 5 November 1996, lot 1201; and the other of rock crystal, 26 April 1998, lot 533.