Charming toggle which was discovered in a large tray filled with hundreds of old jade carvings in the Chinese Arts & Crafts Store in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong in 1987. At that time Chinese Arts & Crafts still had a separate antiques department and from time to time some very nice things could be found there. The toggle has a beautiful skin decorated with plum blossoms on one side. The five petals of the plum blossom symbolize the ‘five blessings’ (wufu 五福) which refer to longevity (寿), wealth (富), health and composure (康宁), love of virtue (修好德), and the desire to die of natural causes at old age (考 终命). The reverse of this toggle shows a bat (‘fu蝠’ = happiness ‘fu 福’) spreading its wings on a peach (‘tao 桃 = long life or run away ‘tao 逃’ ). It dates from the 18th century. Length 4.6 cm. Width 3.8 cm. Depth 1.3 cm. Weight 23.2 grams.