16th century|Of oval form, intricately carved in openwork with a large sinuous writhing five-clawed dragon amidst flames, the reverse similarly carved in openwork with a striding dragon with finely detailed scales and mane, all enclosed within a continuous border of whirling wispy clouds, the stone of pale white tone, with zitan stand carved with five auspicious bats amidst ruyi clouds, bearing the character 乙. 10.4cm (4 1/8in) wide. (2).|十六世紀 白玉鏤雕蟠龍紋佩Provenance: a French private collection, and thence by descent來源： 法國私人收藏，並由後人保存迄今The present lot is exquisitely carved in openwork, unusually on both sides. The skillful craftsmanship and representation of the five-clawed dragon, suggest this would have been made for a high ranking member of the Ming Imperial Court. Capable of flying high in the sky and diving back in the sea, dragons were, since the earliest phases of Chinese history, seen as intermediaries between Heaven and Earth and empowered with extraordinary powers that compared with those of the emperors. Depictions of dragons with a splitting flaming mane behind their horns, such as in the present lot, can be found on porcelain and lacquer wares dating to the second half of the 16th century. The superbly carved zitan stand, specially made for the jade plaque, was made during the Qianlong period. Its dynamic yet precise carving in the prized wood, as well as the auspicious symbolism of the five bats wu fu amidst cloud scrolls, symbolising the the Five Blessings, are demonstrative of the exceptional craftsmanship achieved during the Qianlong reign. The combination of the specially commissioned zitan stand and rare jade plaque, indicate that the present lot would have most likely been kept in an Imperial 'treasure' box for the emperor's appreciation and admiration. The character yi carved on the zitan stand represents the second of the ten Heavenly Stems and is used to denote where something is to be added.Compare a related white and russet jade 'dragon' plaque, second half 16th/ early 17th century, illustrated in J.C.Y.Watt, Chinese Jades from the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, pl.51. A related white jade reticulated plaque, late 15th/ early 16th century, carved with a five-clawed dragon, was sold at Sotheby's London, 10 May 2017, lot 52.