A WHITE JADE 'ROPE TWIST' VASE

18TH CENTURY

Details

A WHITE JADE 'ROPE TWIST' VASE
18TH CENTURY
The pear-shaped vase is decorated with two elephant-head handles to the waisted neck, each head is carved with short tusks and small leaf-shaped ears and with a rope-twist harness tied to the forehead. The body of the vase is carved in relief with a geometric knotted rope design, and the foot is decorated with three horizontal rope twist bands.
7 in. (17.8 cm.) high

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Lot Essay

The unusual rope twist decoration of the current lot is based on archaic bronze wine jars dating from the Warring States period (475- 221 BC). These archaic examples were decorated with a raised rope twist pattern to imitate the tied ropes traditionally used by China's northern nomadic people to carry such vessels.

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