At first we thought that this ornament was a very thinly carved flower of a new type but in fact it is not. When turned around it appears to be a depiction of a butterfly with swastikas on its wings. A Swastika is a much used Buddhist symbol which denotes Infinity. The ornament was previously in the possession of Rudolph Voll (1911-2009) who acquired it in the 1970’s in Hong Kong. For further information about Rudolph Voll see Quick Find 5139. This type of flower is not depicted in professor Cheng Te-k’un’s book ‘Jade Flowers and Floral Patterns in Chinese Decorative Art ‘.