拍品 77
77
AN AMBER COURT NECKLACE, CHAO ZHU
PROPERTY FROM A FLORIDA COLLECTION
AN AMBER COURT NECKLACE, CHAO ZHU

LATE 19TH CENTURY

细节
AN AMBER COURT NECKLACE, CHAO ZHU
Late 19th century
Comprising 107 amber beads, 30 coral beads, three large jadeite beads, a double-gourd-form jadeite bead and mounted oval jadeite pendant, suspending three metal filigree-mounted teardrop pendants of pink tourmaline, crystal and jadeite, each incorporating a pearl; box

拍品专文

The court necklace, chao zhu, was an integral element of Qing official dress. Linked to the Buddhist rosary, the necklace was composed of 108 beads in four sections of 27, separated by larger 'Buddha's head' beads. The number 108 also represents the product of 9 x 12, 9 being the number of planets or 'stems' and 12 the number of houses or 'branches' in the Chinese cyclical calendar. Many different materials were used including Eastern pearls, for the emperor's use exclusively. Compare a similar necklace sold in these rooms, 16 September 1999, lot 169.