Chinese Toggle Depicting Seated Buddha

Calm seated figure holds a small round form in his lap, wrapped in creamy robes.

This toggle depicting seated Buddha is from China, and dates to the late 19th or early 20th century. It is jade. Traditional Chinese clothing had no pockets, so people of all social classes, from rickshaw drivers to court scholars, used toggles as counterweights to help secure small bags hanging from their sashes. Warm cream in color, the seated, cross-legged Buddha has a tall topknot, lowered eyes and hands folded in the lap holding a small bead-like object. Robe folds are carved in shallow flowing lines. The surface is smooth with soft, even polish. It is 1.5 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 2.5 high.

Perfect posture is a lifetime's work, and this one shows it.