Chinese Toggle Depicting Monkey Enjoying Fruit

A white seated monkey holding a small fruit up to its mouth.

This toggle depicting monkey enjoying fruit is from China. 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. The figure sits hunched with knees drawn up, an arm raised to its face and a rounded head with a long muzzle. The surface is smooth and creamy white with a soft glossy polish and a few tiny holes. It is 1.25 inches long, 0.5 deep and 2.25 high.

A snack break captured with serious devotion.