Jade collar clasp decorated with flowers. We are not sure but we believe that the central flower depicts a Chrysanthemum which is a symbol of Longevity. The side-flowers only have four petals, characteristic of the Osmanthus flower, which represents a wish for Distinguished sons. The clasp dates from the Ming (1368 – 1644 AD) or early Qing dynasty (1644 – 1912 AD) and was previously in the possession of Rudolph Voll (1911-2009) who acquired it in the 1970’s in Hong Kong. The life of Rudolph (Rudolf) Voll reads like an adventure-book. He was born in Berlin, Germany in 1911 as son of a master-tailor and fled Germany in 1936 when he was betrayed by his best friend who reported him to the nazis for insulting the ‘fuhrer’ when he mocked the nazi salute. Voll was faced by certain death in a concentration camp and had no alternative but to leave his country of birth. In 1937 he arrived in Shanghai from where he tried to reach Manila. A typhoon however blew his ship off course and he landed in Tokyo, Japan where he eventually became the only western trader at the exclusive Japanese pearl-fair. Pearls made him well-to-do. During his business-trips to Hong Kong, where pearls were very popular amongst Western tourists, he used his spare time to roam around on Hollywood Road and Cat Street where many antiques shops stocked and sold jades. Like many westerners before him, Rudolph Voll became hooked by jade and started collecting small jade trinkets, like ornaments, buckles, figures and flowers and we were very fortunate to acquire a number of flowers from his heirs in America. Rudolph Voll passed away in 2009 in Thailand, 97 years old. Also see Quickfind 4167