18TH/19TH CENTURY

The present jade vessel and cover is based on an ancient bronze you, or ritual wine vessel of the Western Zhou dynasty (1100-771 BC). While the present example is purely decorative and did not serve ritual purposes, it attests to the great popularity of archaism evident during the mid-Qing dynasty, fostered by the three great emperors: Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong, who were all avid collectors of antiques. The method of display, with an elaborate wood stand suspending the vessel from its handle above a second, smaller stand, bears strong resemblance to a white jade you, cover and stand illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Jadeware III, Hong Kong, 1995, p. 186, no. 152, where it is dated to the Qianlong period. (Fig.1) It is also important to note the similarity in carving style, with notched flanges adorning the sides of both vessels.