The Double Headed feature in Jade Carvings is more popularly seen recently in the Imperial Double Headed Dragon Seals of the Qing Dynasty,but this characteristic of having a head on each end originates, in the neolithic culture of the Hongshan in North East China,as seen in that illustrated in Hongshan Culture Jade, as a Double Headed arched Jade Huang.This exquisite example in the round is posted because
01.The seemingly effortless skill of the Ming Jade Artisan in manipulating their medium;Jade(Nephrite), such that it seems to be using a softer stone like soapstone,rather than an obdurate material like Nephrite which is so hard (Moh's 6.5) that a stainless steel knife cannot even scratch it.
02.The delicate details, like the incisor fangs and front teeth are marvelously finished and the final polishing is excellent.
03.Finally the Nephrite is of very high quality,reflected in its translucency and even texture.
