The last owner of this flower insisted that it was made of black jade. But even though it looks black, it was in fact pure white when it was carved. In the old days fires were common in China where all houses were built of wood and fires would spread quickly in the densely populated cities. The flower was once owned by Rudolph Voll (1911-2009) who acquired it in the 1970’s in Hong Kong. For further information about Rudolph Voll see Quick Find 5139. A similar type of flower (nr 375) is depicted in professor Cheng Te-k’un’s book ‘Jade Flowers and Floral Patterns in Chinese Decorative Art’。