Chinese Toggle Depicting Eagle & Bear

Bird perches above a bulky animal in a tangle of grey and cream.

This toggle depicting eagle & bear is from China, and dates to the 19th century. It is 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. Upright and compact, the composition has a bird-like head at the top and a heavy rounded animal below. The upper section is pale cream, while the lower body turns smoky grey and brown with dark patches. A small drilled hole sits near the top. It is 0.75 inches wide, 1.25 deep and 2.5 high.

A crowded little scene, and neither party moves aside.