Chinese Toggle with Floral Motif

Single flower on a curling branch rises from a swirl of cloudy leaves.

This toggle with floral motif 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. Pale grey-green and rounded, the compact piece is carved with a small blossom at the top, a twisting stem and a large spiral leaf at right. A smaller curl balances it on the left. The surface is smooth and the polish is soft and even. It is 2 inches wide, 0.5 deep and 1.5 high.

One bloom, plenty of curls and no reason to fuss.