30 | Agate lotus dish 18th century Length: 16.5 cm | 6 1/2 in Click image for full-size version The stone is of a translucent mottled amber pink colour – the washer carved fully, in the round, in the form of an upturned lotus leaf whose fluid scalloped contours contain a catfish. Lotus flower buds cling to the undulating edges of the lotus leaf, and their severed stems reach around and to the centre of the underside. The work is highly naturalistic, closely observed, and beautifully finished – with a high polish and finely incised details.