Carved Shoushan Soapstone Jin Chan Money Toad with Stone & Brass Coins

A three-legged money toad — Jin Chan, the wealth-drawing frog of Chinese folk tradition — carved from a single solid piece of Fujian soapstone. The material is a banded oxblood-and-cream Shoushan-type stone (寿山石), the carver working the natural color zoning deliberately into the sculpture: deep russet and mottled burgundy flood the warty, pearl-studded back and flanks, while pale cream and celadon tones emerge along the face, belly, and feet. Raised beaded nodules cover the dorsal surface in dense, interlocking fields; incised whorls define the brow ridge, spiral eyes, and jaw. The mouth is worked open to receive a coin — the beast's defining attribute — and the figure squats atop a layered bed of carved cash coins, clawed feet braced on strings of wealth.

The Jin Chan is traditionally placed near the entrance of a home or business to attract and retain prosperity; the coin held in the mouth signifies fortune coming in, never leaving. This lot includes two loose coins sized to accompany the figure: one carved stone coin in pale celadon material bearing a square center hole and four-character reign inscription consistent with a Qing dynasty Kangxi Tongbao (康熙通寶) cash format, and one cast brass cash coin with a similarly formatted later Qing-style legend. Both are auspicious props in keeping with the figure's feng shui function rather than numismatic pieces. The figure is unmarked; no maker's chop or studio seal is present on the base.

Shoushan stone is a talc-based soapstone (approximately Mohs 1–2) quarried primarily in Fujian Province and prized in Chinese carving traditions for centuries. The oxblood-and-cream banded variety here — with its waxy, slightly translucent sheen on the pale zones and deep russet veining through the cream-to-celadon ground — is consistent with the Furong (芙蓉) or Baijiqing (白鸡青) colorways of Shoushan production. The material's softness is precisely what enables the extreme relief work on display: the dense undercut pearled nodule fields covering this figure's back would be impossible to execute at this scale in jade or any harder stone. The figure's weight — 7 lb 12 oz for an 8-inch carving — is consistent with soapstone's specific gravity of approximately 2.7–2.8 g/cm³. Workshop surface working marks on the base underside are characteristic of Fujian soapstone carving production.

CONDITION

Very Good with shelf wear. The carving is crisp throughout — nodule fields, incised whorls, and the open-mouth coin seat all remain sharp and undamaged. Natural veining and mineral inclusions run through the stone as part of the material's character. The base underside shows working marks, scattered surface flecks, and light scratching consistent with age and handling.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Frog: 5¼" H × 5" W × 8" D
• Frog Weight: 7 lb 12 oz
• Stone Coin: ¼" thick × 1⅞" diameter — 25 grams
• Brass Coin: ¼" thick × 2⅛" diameter — 88 grams
• Included: (2) Coins — 1 carved stone, 1 cast brass
• Construction: Carved from one solid piece of stone; unmarked
• Material: Fujian soapstone (Shoushan-type), oxblood-and-cream banded variety
• Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale — Not Included