A small Chinese jade carving in the form of a finger citron (Buddha's hand fruit, fojushou), with a bat carved to the reverse. Dating to the late Qing dynasty, this piece has been authenticated by Bonhams. The carving takes the form of the citron's distinctive, finger-like segmented fruit, its lobes curling and overlapping in a naturalistic tangle, with a small carved leaf worked across part of the surface. To the reverse is a bat, shown in low relief with its wings spread. This is a deliberately paired motif in Chinese decorative art: the finger citron's Chinese name, foshou, is a near-homophone for "Buddha's hand" and by extension for blessings and longevity, while the bat, fu, is a homophone for happiness or good fortune. Together, the two motifs form a rebus wishing the owner blessings and fortune — a favourite device on scholar's objects, snuff bottles, and small carvings of the Qing period, where visual puns like this were a form of quiet wit as much as decoration. The jade is a warm mix of brown, celadon, and russet tones, the colour shifting across the piece rather than sitting in one flat band — a natural variation that the carver has worked with, letting the deeper brown and russet tones fall along the fruit's ridges and the paler celadon show through the recesses. The surface has a smooth, softly worn quality consistent with age and handling. Small carvings of this kind were made as pocket pieces, toggles, or scholar's desk ornaments — objects meant to be picked up, turned in the hand, and enjoyed at close range, which the compact scale and tactile modelling here both support. Measurements: Length: 5cm (2 in) Width: 2.5cm Weight: 50g