Pendant in the shape of a pair of vases

These two vases are finely carved from grayish jade. Well hollowed, perhaps to contain fragrance, they rest on oval ring feet, also deeply worked. The separate lids are ornamented with a twisted rope design. The vases, with their lids, are strung together with a yellow silk cord, indicating that they were once worn in the palace. A heroic looking eagle stands triumphantly between the vases, with wings spread wide and resting on the head of a bear.

In China, eagle is a pun for ying, and bear is homophonous with the word for xiong. Together, they form the word yingxiong, meaning "hero." Such ornaments were hung from the waist during the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).