QING DYNASTY (1644-1911)

The shape of this vessel derives from the rhyton that, first appeared in China around the 6th or 7th century, and reflects the later taste for archaistic forms and decorations. As with many later archaistic jades, the form and decoration of this vessel do not follow a specific ancient prototype, but are rather refined interpretations and combinations of earlier bronze motifs and patterns. The phoenix that is carved beneath the spout, with the beak suspending a loose ring, is carved with a body and wings composed of scroll motifs that combine in a symmetrical fashion but do not form a proper taotie mask, as an ancient design might have. These slightly abstract motifs are set against the wide, low-relief leiwen band, which can be traced directly to the decorative vocabulary of ancient bronzes.
A white jade rhyton with dragon-form handle and phoenix head beneath the spout suspending a loose ring beneath the beak, is in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, and is illustrated in Chinese Jades Throughout the Ages, Hong Kong, 1996, p. 81, no. 40.