Ming Dynasty The flattened pear-shaped body rising from a spreading foot to an everted rim flaring at the spout, set on one side with a loop handle, the waisted neck carved with a band of a pair of confronted kui dragons flanking a roundel, the stone of a greyish-brown tone suffused with russet and white inclusions. 9.6cm (3 3/4in) high.
明 青白玉仿古夔龍紋鋬耳觯式杯
Provenance: Dunt King, Hong Kong, before 13 February 1957 Bluett & Sons Ltd., London, 2 May 1957 (invoice) Brigadier C.S Bright, Fingest
來源： Dunt King，香港，1957年2月13日前 倫敦古董商Bluett & Sons Ltd.，1957年5月2日（收據） Brigadier C.S Bright，芬格斯特
The form and design of the present vessel draw inspiration from archaic bronzes, specifically the zhi (觯) and yi (匜). While the body follows the shape of a zhi, traditionally used for holding wine, the mouth rim adopts the distinctive forms of a yi, a vessel designed for pouring water. For related examples, see a late Shang dynasty bronze zhi and a Western Zhou bronze yi in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Bronzes in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, pl.47 and pl.209.
See a zhi-shaped jade ewer similarly designed with a loop hand and a band adorned with a pair of confronted kui dragons flanking a roundel, and a green jade cup of similar body shape and mouth-rim, Ming dynasty, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol.7, Hefei, 2011, p.42 and p.224.
See a related pale green jade cup of similar shape but with a dragon handle, 17th/18th century, which was sold at Bonhams Hong Kong, 27 November 2014, lot 11.
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