A Chinese archaistic carved jade “blade” 夔龙纹仿古玉斧 Qing dynasty or earlier 清或更早 Decorated with pair of reticulated archaic stylized dragons, centered by "Taiji" characters, the stone of greyish-white tone with darker veins. (H: 5 1/4 in.)Qty: (1)PROVENANCE: Collection of Norman Stanley Potter (1926–1970) acquired prior to February 10, 1967Thence by descent Footnote: NOTE: Norman Stanley Potter (1926–1970) was a collector with wide-ranging interests who developed an eye for classical arts and built a collection of Asian art, antiquities, and early European art. Born to Polish immigrants in New York City, Potter began his self-edification in the arts during his youth while exploring the Metropolitan Museum of Art. As a prominent mathematician and engineer, he participated in the Manhattan Project and later was a designer of complex defense systems. Together with his wife, the abstract artist Berne Potter, he was active in the art and antique worlds of New York and became friends with important gallerists and collectors, including Julius Carlebach and Melvin Gutman of Cole Galleries, Ltd., New York.