A RARE IMPERIAL WHITE JADE 'CHILONG' HANDLED CUP INCISED SEAL MARK AND PERIOD OF QIANLONG

the deep rounded body resting on a short straight foot, flanked by a pair of openwork handles carved in the form of a stylised chilong clambering sinuously on the vessel, each resting its paws and mouth on the mouthrim with an undulating bifurcated tail extending across the vessel, the countersunk base incised with a four-character seal mark, the translucent stone of an even white colour accented with russet inclusions, wood stand

Yang Boda, Essence of Qing Jades, Chicago, 1995, pp. 176-177.

In overall good condition. Minute nicks to the extremities as can be expected. The catalogue illustration with a reddish tone.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Deftly carved in the round with two sinuous chilong grasping and biting the rim of the cup, this piece is notable for its close resemblance to its Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) jade and porcelain predecessors. The superior quality of the stone is accentuated through the finely finished surface of the vessel which is interrupted only by the curling tails that extend elegantly around the body. An early prototype, from the Musée Guimet, Paris, was included in the Oriental Ceramics Society exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 326, where it is noted that the qingbai and jade vessels appear to have been produced concurrently and continued to be produced throughout the Ming dynasty (p. 100). For a Yuan porcelain example, see one from the Barlow collection and another from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, included in Stacey Pierson (ed.), Qingbai Ware: Chinese Porcelain of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, London, 2002, pls. 41 and 42.

Jade cups of this type, attributed to the Ming dynasty, include three in the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (II), Hong Kong, 1995, pls 190, 191 and 195, together with variations of the design, pls 192, 194 and 196; two in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, published in James C.S. Lin, The Immortal Stone. Chinese Jades from the Neolithic Period to the Twentieth Century, London, 2009, pls 59 and 61, illustrated together with a qingbai cup, pl. 60; and another sold in our London rooms, 6th November 2013, lot 38.

Cups of this form were also redesigned during the Qianlong period; for example see one carved with two dragons and scrolling clouds, with a Qianlong fanggu mark and of the period, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in Complete Collection of Chinese Jades. Qing Dynasty, vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pls 30-32; and another, but of conical form and the chilong clambering along the top half of the vessel, pls 28 and 29.