Lacquer-painted jade, also known as jade-body lacquerware, is a jade product with patterns painted on the surface of the finished jade after carving with lacquer mixed with mineral pigments. This type of artifact is extremely rare. The manufacturing process of jade carving itself is already very complicated, and the difficulty of painting with lacquer can be imagined.
This jade tiger is in a reclining position, with its front paws raised, eyes shaped like the Chinese character "臣", mushroom ears, and serrated teeth in its mouth. It is made of white jade (with peeling lacquer visible), covered with black lacquer and outlined with ochre mineral pigments. There are inscriptions on both sides of the tiger and on its tail, with 17 characters on each side. The inscriptions were pre-carved on the surface of the jade and then filled in with bright yellow mineral pigments.
This lacquer-painted jade tiger is well preserved, brightly colored, and of standard shape. It is a rare representative work of painted jade.
