Chinese Toggle Depicting Beetle

Broad beetle shell shows its back in pale cream with an olive green rim.

This toggle depicting beetle is from China, and dates to the 19th 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. Shaped as a beetle's back, the wide oval has a central dividing line and a triangular head plate engraved with short bars. The center is pale and rough, with brown patches, while the border is olive green. The surface shows light wear. It is 1 inches deep and 1.5 high.

Not glamorous, but unquestionably well armored.