CHINE, DYNASTIE MING (1368-1644)

The present jade wine ewer is an exceptionally rare example of Ming dynasty jade carving. The body of the vessel was fashioned from a single large piece of celadon jade with natural russet inclusions, rather than assembled from separate sections, requiring a jade boulder of remarkable size and quality. Particularly remarkable is the body of the vessel, continuously and finely carved in shallow relief with cursive script poetic inscriptions, combining the arts of calligraphy and jade carving in a manner more commonly associated with later Qing imperial works than with Ming jade vessels.
The decorative programme is equally distinctive: the handle is formed as a phoenix perched amongst bamboo branches, while the spout takes the form of confronting chilong dragons. The combination of phoenix, chilong, bamboo, and poetic inscriptions within a single composition is highly uncommon and suggests a work created for a literati patron or possibly for courtly appreciation.