Chinese Toggle Depicting a Money God

A bearded face peers out of a curl of cloud on a pebble-shaped plaque.

This toggle depicting a money god is from China. It is carved jade. Toggles originally worn for practical use later became valued gifts and artworks, and the article notes that the netsuke of Japan, a similar counterweight for kimono sashes, originated with Chinese toggles. An oval slab of pale celadon carries a high-relief face with a long flowing beard and a domed brow. Scrolling clouds and a lotus-like base wrap around below. The finish is smooth and soft-edged, with a tiny hole near the top. It is 2 inches wide, 2.5 deep and 1 high.

A whole mood carved on a surface the size of a palm.