Lot Essay
A well-known similar white jade dragon-handled cup dated Yuan-Ming dynasty from the collection of the Musee Guimet, Paris, was included in the exhibition Chinese Jade throughout the Ages and illustrated in Transactions of the Oriental Society, 1973-75, no. 326. Ayers and Rawson note that cups of this form first appeared in Yingqing porcelain of the late Song-Yuan dynasty and remained popular thoughout the Ming dynasty. A cup dated to the early Qing dynasty is illustrated by Yang Boda in the Gu Yao Kao, no. 115.