A RARE ARCHAISTIC JADE VESSEL AND COVER, GUANG

Details

A RARE ARCHAISTIC JADE VESSEL AND COVER, GUANG
QING DYNASTY, 18TH/19TH CENTURY

In imitation of an archaic bronze guang, the pouring vessel of an oval cross-section, decorated in shallow relief on each side of the rounded body with a large archaistic phoenix below a smaller phoenix, all beneath a protruding lip at one end, one side of the vessel with a loop-handle formed from the head of a mythical beast, raised on a splayed foot further detailed with phoenixes; the fitted lid modelled as a feline beast with a rounded head, detailed with a pair of horns dividing a flange-like spine, the elongated body with archaistic symbols in shallow relief, the stone enhanced with russet inclusions
7 in. (17.7 cm.) wide, box

Provenance

Alice Boney

Lot Essay

This unusual vessel is imitating a dragon-form ritual bronze food vessel from the Shang dynasty (1600-1100 BC), known as a guang. For bronze prototypes and a discussion by R. Bagley, cf. Ritual Bronzes in the Arthur Sackler Collection, Harvard University Press, 1987, pp. 413-415.

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