Page 134 - Marchant Ninety Jades For 90 Years

七
十
二

蒼

龍

戯

珠

螭 72. Baluster vase and cover of flattened form, with two open-work archaic-style dragon handles, carved on the body in high relief with a
耳 three-clawed dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl amongst ruyi-head clouds, above crested waves with an open-winged bat in flight,
蓋 the reverse with a double gourd issuing ruyi-clouds above waves, the corners with stylised rope, one with a hanging basket of peaches
瓶 beneath lotus leaves on the rim and cover and a lotus pod-form finial, the stone pale celadon, mottled and russet.

青 9 ⅞ inches, 25.2 cm high.
白 Early Ming dynasty, 15th/16th century.
玉 Carved wood stand.

明 • From a European private collection.
初 • Purchased from John Sparks, 1st December 1954.

• A Yuan dynasty vase of similar material, also carved with a dragon, is illustrated by Yun Xi Zheng in The Collection of Jades in the

1954 Tianjin City Art Museum, pl. 181.

• A censer carved with a three-clawed dragon, in the Qing Court collection, is illustrated by Yang Xin in The Complete Collection

年 of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (I), no. 207, p. 196.

• A Qing imperial large globular vase, with a three-clawed dragon in pursuit of a flaming pearl above waves, is illustrated by Xu

月 Xiao Dong in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum, Jade, Vol. 10, Qing Dynasty, Gu Gong Inventory no. Gu 103848,

no. 28, p. 55.
日 • The dragon, long, is ranked first among mythical beasts and is a symbol of the emperor, representing high rank and power. The
購 earliest dragons were represented with two and three claws. A descending bat, fu, forms the rebus fucong tianjiang, ‘Blessing
于 descending from heaven’. The gourd, hulu, is a symbol of fertility and good fortune, here emitting ruyi-head clouds, a wish-
古
董 granting motif.

商

John Sparks

132