Belt Hook
18th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
In the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) Chinese men did not often wear belts, yet a fairly large number of jade belt hooks were made at that period. They were put to the most creative use - as brush-rests on the scholar's desk. One writer even recommended that 'ancient belt hooks make the most elegant picture hooks on the wall'.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Nephrite jade, carved |
| Brief description | Belt hook, nephrite jade, carved |
| Physical description | Belt hook carved with a dragon in high relief |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Wells bequest |
| Object history | Bequeathed by Arthur Wells, accessioned in 1882. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | In the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) Chinese men did not often wear belts, yet a fairly large number of jade belt hooks were made at that period. They were put to the most creative use - as brush-rests on the scholar's desk. One writer even recommended that 'ancient belt hooks make the most elegant picture hooks on the wall'. |
| Bibliographic reference | Ming Wilson, Chinese Jades, No. 28 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 1620-1882 |
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| Record created | March 14, 2005 |
| Record URL |
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