This was the first jade that entered the collection. It was found in 1966 in a small antiques shop in the Netherlands together with a jade brush pot of lesser quality which we disposed off shortly after. This particular belt hook is made of greenish grey Hetian jade. For a long time we were not certain about its age as we hadn't seen this type of belt hook before. But recently we saw a very similar belt hook sold by Sotheby's in Hong Kong in 2015 which was dated to the Ming dynasty (1368 - 1644). This confirmed our original beliefs that it may date back to that particular time in Chinese history. But it could even be older. In the Wellington Wang collection are some belt hooks very similar in shape which are dated to the Yuan dynasty (1279 - 1368). The elongated head of the dragon, which is a typical feature of the Yuan period, has a nice dark brown 'skin'. Dark green jade such as this, was commonly used during the Yuan and Ming periods for belt hooks. Length 10.7 cm. Width 5.0 cm. Depth 2.9 cm. Weight 148.3 grams.