AN ARCHAISTIC PALE CELADON JADE CUP 17TH CENTURY

the cylindrical body raised on three bear-form feet, the angular handle set with a sinuous chilong clambering aside, the exterior finely carved around in relief with confronting dragon and phoenix on a studded ground, the stone with opaque calcified areas mottled with russet brown coloration

Swiss private collection.

In very good general condition. The stone with fissures and inclusions, as visible in the catalogue image including, but not limited to, two russet- stained stone flaws or cracks to the base, brown staining or inclusions to one of the feet and to a section of the rim. Minute nicks to edges of dragon and handle. The rim possibly slightly polished.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

The present lot belongs to a small number of jade cylindrical cups modeled after Han dynasty jade drinking cups and variously dated from the Song to late Ming dynasty. See a Han dynasty jade cup and cover in the Beijing Palace Museum, illustrated in Zhongguo Meishu Quanji, Jade, vol. 9, Beijing, 1996, pl. 197. 

A related jade cup and cover, bearing a Lu Zigang signature, was excavated outside of Beijing in 1962 from a late Ming dynasty tomb, dated to 1676, and is illustrated in Howard S. Hansford, Chinese Carved Jades, London, 1968, pl. 18. Another, also bearing a Lu Zigang signature, formerly in the collection of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Bull, was included in the exhibition Chinese Jade Throughout the Ages, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1975, cat. no. 326 and subsequently sold in our New York rooms, 6th December 1983, lot 219. 

See also a related Ming dynasty cup from the collection of Quincy Chuang included in the exhibition Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, The Asia Society, New York, 1980, cat. no. 140. Another Ming dynasty cup and cover from the Qing court collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Jadeware (II), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 185; and a related green jade cup and cover in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, is illustrated in René-Yvon Lefebre d'Argencé, Avery Brundage Collection of Chinese Jades, San Francisco, 1972, pl. L.