AN ARCHAISTIC GREY AND RUSSET JADE RHYTON

MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)

Details

AN ARCHAISTIC GREY AND RUSSET JADE RHYTON
MING DYNASTY (1368-1644)
The well-hollowed vessel has an undulating mouth and terminates in a pair of elegant striated tail-like scrolls. The sides are carved with a scroll design and decorated in high relief with two sinuous chilong. The larger chilong is depicted climbing up to the mouth rim forming the handle with its long body. The stone is of mottled greenish-grey color with areas of russet.
4 in. (10.2 cm.) high

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Lot Essay

The carving seen on the present jade rhyton, and the use of the stone and russet color, is quite similar to that seen on another Ming dynasty rhyton in the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman sold at Christie's New York, 15-16 September 2011, lot 1393. The shape of the present vessel is based on that of jade rhytons that started appearing during the Song dynasty as an archaism of those of Han dynasty date. This type of vessel continued into the Ming and Qing dynasties but, unlike the Han rhytons, the Song and later vessels often include chilong clambering across the surface. A Ming dynasty jade rhyton of this type is illustrated by J. Rawson in Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 396, no. 29.

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