The present lot is a classic example of the ideals of Qing jade carving where twin elements appear together, in this instance the double-happiness character and the pair of tasselled endless knots appearing together to symbolise harmony and eternal marital bliss. From the subject-matter, it is possible that this vessel was made as a wedding present, and a number of these remain in the Palace Museum, Beijing. Yang Boda discussed this group of objects in his essay 'Selected Treasures from the Personal Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman', published in the present catalogue, pp. 24-29.

A very similar water-pot from the Helen and Peter Collection was included in the 45th Anniversary Exhibition of the Min Chiu Society, Auspicious Emblems, Hong Kong, 2005, and illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 218; a slightly smaller water-pot of comparable design is illustrated by Yang Boda (ed.), Essence of Qing Jades, Hong Kong, 1995, pp. 200-201; an example with a Shou character on the bridge is in the Tianjin Municipal Museum, illustrated in Cang Yu, Hong Kong, 1993, pls. 204-205; and another also with a Shou symbol, was included in the Indianapolis Museum of Art exhibition, Three Dynasties of Jade, 1971, illustrated in the Catalogue, no. 44.