Page 59 - Christies May 9, 2017 Kensington
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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
£30,000-50,000 $38,000-63,000
€35,000-58,000
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.
清十八世紀 白玉網紋雙象耳瓶
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