Jade belt hook production reached its height during the Ming and Qing dynasties. The most popular style is an oblong form with an openwork of two facing dragons, a juvenile and a father, to illustrate the saying “the old dragon teaching its young (cang long jiao zi)” and the succession of imperial power where knowledge is passed down from father to son. Unlike similar works of this style, which are typically agate or nephrite, the dragon belt hook offered this season is finely carved from exceptional jadeite of brilliant green tone, showcasing the stone’s natural mottling to masterful effect, emphasizing the lively carved characters, and boasting great suppleness seldom seen inꦑ carved objects. The technical mastery of such rare material in combination with its impressive size and auspicious design presents an opportunity to obtain an object to be paജssed to generations to come. 

自商周青銅帶鉤以降，玉質鉤的產量在明代及清代達至高峰。在芸芸作例之中，器身呈橢﷽圓形、飾鏤空父子對龍的帶鉤備受藏家青睞。此紋飾風格名為「蒼龍教子」，具有傳授知識、繼承龍位之意。有別於紋飾相同、多以瑪瑙或軟玉製成的類例，本帶鉤以碧綠天然翡翠巧雕而成，作工精湛，呈現出寶石的天然斑紋，不僅彰顯龍的盎然生機，更體現了鮮見於雕刻作品的柔順潤澤。本作的用料罕見，工藝精湛、尺寸碩大，🉐紋飾寓意吉祥，是一件能夠歷代傳承的傑作，購藏機會難能可貴。