AN ARCHAISTIC RUSSET AND CELADON JADE 'HEAVENLY BIRD' RHYTON QING DYNASTY, 17TH / 18TH CENTURY |

of oval section with deep U-shaped sides bending slightly to imitate the natural curvature of a horn, one side carved in high relief with the upper body of a 'heavenly bird', its chest swelling at the base of the cup, the long S-curved neck rising to the head peering forward with alert eyes and the beak carved in the round, the wings rendered in low relief wrapping around each side of the rhyton, the feathers with archaistic flourishes, the low-relief legs tucked under the base, the stone a creamy color with a swath of deep russet flecked with gray near the tips of the wings and legs, wood stand (2)

Oriental Rarities (Alan Hartman), New York, 20th May 1981.
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 213.

The russet side has an approx. 1-cm chip, a small nick, a hairline crack from the rim, and a few shallow surface cracks. Please note that this lot includes a stand, frame or other component made from a type of Chinese hardwood, which, if exported, will require a CITES permit to leave the United States.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Rhyton cups in the form of an animal or an animal's head appeared in China as early as the Western Han dynasty. There was a resurgence of interest in this form in the Song dynasty, and the enthusiasm was sustained through the subsequent Yuan, Ming and Qing periods. Later jade rhytons, including the present example, are typically decorated with archaistic motifs including mythical creatures and ground patterns derived from ancient bronze vessels. Compare a Ming dynasty gray jade rhyton with chilong in high relief and openwork in the collection of the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, illustrated in Michael Knight et al., Later Chinese Jades: Ming Dynasty to Early Twentieth Century from the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, San Francisco, 2007, pl. 151; another with chilong attributed to the latter half of the Ming dynasty in the collection of the Musée Guimet, Paris, exhibited in Jade: From Emperors to Art Deco, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2018, cat. no. 97; a Song dynasty example with an S-curved handle similar to the present, formerly in the Cunliffe Collection and sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 9th October 2012, lot 3137; and a 17th/18th century example carved with taotie and a handle similar to the present rhyton, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 3201.