PROPERTY FROM A MIDWESTERN COLLECTION AN ARCHAISTIC JADE BRACELETStyle of Warring States Period The cylinder band carved with shallow relief of stylized 'cloud andma' scrolls to form five masks evenly spaced on the exterior, the stone mottled russet-brown, green and yellow. 3 1/8in (7.8cm) wide 仿古玉環 Antiquarianism was prominent in Qing dynasty China largely due to imperial patronage. Artisans of the Qing reinterpreted the finest Ming dynasty porcelains and jade carvings, while the Qing scholars debated various schools of Confucius thought. Collecting antiquities has always been an important pursuit amongst the literati class, as a way of engaging oneself with the historic past. For the Qing emperors, especially during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns, collecting ancient artifacts was a way of demonstrating the legitimacy of the Manchu empire and a continuation of China's glory. Archaic jades were one of the most notable categories in the Qing Court collection. The publication of Wu Dacheng's Gu yu tu kao in 1889 was a good indication that outside of the imperial palace jade collecting was very popular by the late 19th century. Many archaistic jades were made during this period under the influence of antiquarianism and collecting trends. Lot 242 and Lot 243 in this sale represent two different approaches to paying homage to ancient prototypes. In Lot 243, the jade bracelet in the style of Warring States, the artisan re-arranged the 'cloud andma' elements to create an artifact with gu yi , the 'flavor' of antiquity. For lot 242, the thinly carved jade 'tiger' plaque's form and décor is based on line drawings from printed books such as the Gu yu tu kao , but with little regards to Western Zhou jade carving techniques. In either case, the artisans were rendering the aesthetic of archaic jades into a new style that fits their contemporary fashion and taste.