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Subject:Can anybody tell me what’s going on with this very odd little cat?
Posted By: Marie Thu, Oct 09, 2014 IP: 71.47.174.65

This is the oddest piece I’ve ever come across (not that I have seen all that much.) It was from a safe deposit box, so whoever put it in there probably thought it was jade. I doubt it, though I can’t figure out much else. I always imagined plastic rip-off pieces made sense in what they’re purporting to be.

Initially it looks like a pendant, with two holes in the top, one of which is definitely large enough to put a cord through. Both holes have some dirt and wear, and I’m fairly certain that, whatever else is true, it had been worn. One side has a sleeping cat, very cute little guy, but his orientation is all wrong for the pendant theory.

It has 2 cicada wings, or possibly leaves, on the “back,” but they seem either broken or unfinished. That face is very flat and if it’s laid on that side as the bottom, the cat’s position and posture would make sense as a paperweight or scroll weight.

My best theory is if it were a valuable stone, or the artist thought it was, that he/she began carving a cicada pendant, which wasn’t working out and they decided to salvage the stone making the cat. (In which case I’m wrong as can be about those holes being used).

It has several cracks, two in the tail, one in the body. Some chips on the edge under kitty’s front paw. The damning part to my uneducated eye is the rough part on the back, the damaged or unfinished part of the cicada wings, are what I imagine fake stamped in ‘rough texture’ would look like – except when it reaches the edge. There it blends perfectly into very legit looking chips and cracks.

Thoughts? Who is this little mystery monster?

Apologies for my crappy picture-taking. I’ll go another round/focus on something in particular if anyone thinks it’s worthwhile.







Subject:Re: Can anybody tell me what’s going on with this very odd little cat?
Posted By: Ernest Wilhelm Fri, Oct 10, 2014

That little cat sure had a rough life, being kicked around. From all the indications, it is Nephrite (Jade). These type of pendants were already made made in the Qing dynasty, if not earlier.
Ernest

Subject:Re: Can anybody tell me what’s going on with this very odd little cat?
Posted By: Lee Sat, Oct 11, 2014

Late Ching Jade cat sitting on leave probably has a synonym meaning. This piece is genuine from the cut buy only about 100 years old probably used as a pendant.

Subject:Re: Can anybody tell me what’s going on with this very odd little cat?
Posted By: adam Sat, Oct 11, 2014

These cat on a leaf pendants are very common in jade but certain things make me think yours is in bowenite (although in some shots the lustre is jade-like, add some better shots in full daylight... The chinese for cat is "mao" (Amusingly) and hence these amulets are a wish for the owner to attain long life as this word mao is also a homophone for "80" hence expressing the wish that the owner attain eighty years in age... If is in jade it could be worth up to £500


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