A GREEN JADE 'DRAGON' MOONFLASK AND COVER 17TH / 18TH CENTURY |

the flattened circular body rising from a rectangular foot to an oval rim, the shoulder set with a pair of archaistic kuilong handles, the body carved in high relief with a dragon and chilong contesting a 'Flaming Pearl' amidst bold swirling clouds, all against a smooth ground, the domed cover surmounted by an oblong knob, the green stone with occasional orange-russet patches and faint icy striations (2)

Spink & Son, London, 18th December 1980.
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 339.

The flask and cover are in overall good condition with only scattered tiny nicks to the high relief, rims, and foot.
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.

Contrasting dramatically with the smooth unadorned surface of the vase, the high relief-carved dragon and chilong coil around the vessel as if enveloping it in cloud wisps. This sense of movement is further expressed in the dragon's trailing whiskers and the flick of the chilong's tail. With the smaller chilong clambering towards the larger dragon, the present vase conveys the proverb canglong jiaozi ('the old dragon teaches his son').  A strikingly similar baluster-form celadon jade vase and cover carved in high relief and openwork with dragons pursuing a 'Flaming Pearl' in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, is published in Chen Shen and Gu Fang, Haiwai bowuguan cang yuqi tuji zhi yi: Jianada Huangjia Andalüe bowuguan cang Zhongguo gudai yuqi / Chinese Jade Collections from Museums Outside China, No. 1: Ancient Chinese Jades from the Royal Ontario Museum, Beijing, 2016, pl. 271.

Compare also a jade moonflask vase, with clambering chilong and low-relief floral medallions, sold at Christie's New York, 18th September 1997, lot 240; a plain moonflask vase with abstract dragon-fret handles sold in these rooms, 17th October 1974, lot 63. For pear-shaped examples, see one sold at Christie's London, 13th May 2016, lot 715 and another in our Hong Kong rooms, 29th November 2018, lot 451. See also a white jade vase with similar subject matter but inscribed with a poem, sold at Christie's New York, 17 March 2017, lot 1090.