A tiger Is very well carved from very light, almost white, celadon Hetian jade. The animal represents courage, bravery and strength. The carving was acquired in Hong Kong in 1989 and we assumed that it dated from the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1912). But in a auction catalogue of Sotheby's we found a depiction of an animal with an almost identical facial expression which is supposed to date from the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644). Can a Ming date also be attributed to our feline? Length 3.8 cm. Width 1.7 cm. Height 2.0 cm. Weight 22.2 grams.