A FINELY CARVED WHITE JADE 'DRAGON' MOONFLASK QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

of flattened globular form, well carved on each side with a frontal five-clawed dragon, its sinuous body wrapped around a 'flaming pearl', leaping amongst lotus scrolls and bajixiang, the waisted neck adorned with stylised floral and foliate designs, flanked by a pair of dragon ring handles, the lustrous stone of an even white tone with natural inclusions

A Private French Collection.
S. Marchant & Son Ltd., London.

Post-Archaic Chinese Jades from Private Collections, S. Marchant and Son Ltd., London, 2000, cat. no. 14.

The overall condition is very good with only a minute bruise to the edge of one of the main sides, minutes nick to the foot, edges of one of the side and a few natural flaws in the stone coming through as rough patches on the surface. The cover is missing. The stone has inherent russet patches. The actual colour of the stone is slightly greyer than in the catalogue illustration.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The five-clawed frontal leaping dragon remains one of the most powerful and ubiquitous symbols of imperial authority, adorning items from the emperor's clothes to his palaces. While imperial 'dragon' moonflasks were popular in porcelain during the Qianlong period, they are relatively rarely encountered in jade. The present piece, with its deeply carved high relief design of a ferocious five-clawed dragon is one of the finest extant examples. Further 'dragon' moonflasks include one carved in low relief, with dragon handles and cover, illustrated in Zhongguo yuqi quanji, vol. 6, Shijiazhuang, 1993, pl. 220; another with a cover and ringed mask-head handles, from the collection of Sir John Buchanan-Jardine, included in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art, Royal Academy of Art, London, 1935-36, cat. no. 2839; and a third example from the De An Tang collection, included in the exhibition A Romance with Jade. From the De An Tang Collection, Palace Museum, Beijing, 2004, cat. no. 35.

The band of pendant acanthus leaves around the neck is derived from Western-influenced architectural and decorative elements. Such motifs were introduced by the Jesuit missionaries working at the Qianlong court and used on a variety of buildings following European palaces built within the Yuanmingyuan.