A WHITE AND RUSSET JADE ARC-SHAPED 'DRAGON' PLAQUE, HUANGSong Dynasty or laterThe curved plaque worked in low relief with archaistic scrolls, carved in openwork in the centre with a pair of dragons in mirror image, the white stone with patches of russet veins.8.2cm (3 1/4in) longProvenance: 宋或以後 龍紋玉璜The present jade plaque follows an archaic jade prototype from the Warring States period which was used as an ornament. Archaism gained great popularity during the Song dynasty when a number of jade carvings were produced to reflect the fashion of the period. For an example of a Warring States prototype, see Gufang,The Pictorial Handbook of Ancient Chinese Jades, Beijing, 2007, p.182.宋代仿古風氣盛行，此玉璜應為宋代仿古玉雕，其原型為戰國時期作為裝飾用玉的龍紋玉璜，見古方，《中國古玉器圖典》，北京，2007年，頁182。