For other jade vases of similar fine workmanship, sharing the iconography of dragons and phoenix, emblematic of the emperor and empress, see a large pale green jade vase in the Palace Museum, Beijing, worked with a long chilong depicted clambering over the rim of the vessel, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji [Complete series on Chinese jades], vol. 6, Hebei, 1991, pl. 148. See also a smaller Qianlong reign-marked yellow jade vase with similar iconography, illustrated ibid., pls 146-147. All three vases share the same bold craftsmanship, with almost identical depiction of the dragon's muscular body, ferocious expression and poise, suggesting they all emanate from the same workshop. For another jade vessel attributed to the early 18th century, similarly fusing the traditions of an archaic bronze and a rhyton, see one decorated with a chilong clambering onto the rim, sold in these rooms, 8th October 2014, lot 3671.

Sir Henry Philip Price, 1st Baronet (1877-1963) was an English businessman and philanthropist who innovated the tailoring business in the early 20th century. He used his fortune to promote botany and was a key donor to Kew Gardens, which named a garden after him. In 1938, he bought Wahehurst Place, an Elizabethan mansion, which he decorated under the guidance of his close friend Frank Partridge. His collection was sold to great acclaim at Sotheby’s London in November 2000.