A GRAY AND CELADON JADE EWER AND COVER MING DYNASTY, 16TH CENTURY |

the compressed pear-shaped body supported on a conforming foot and sweeping up to a waisted neck and subtly galleried rim, set to one side with a gently curving upright spout connecting to the neck by a dragon-form strut, a long S-curved handle at the opposite side, the pinnacle of the handle pierced for attaching a chain, each side of the body carved in high relief with a raised teardrop-shaped panel enclosing a dragon and its young frolicking amidst swirling clouds, the motif repeated in low relief in a continuous pattern on the body, spout, and handle, a band of keyfret at the rim, prunus blossoms floating on waves around the foot, the domed cover carved in low relief with chilong prowling above a keyfret band and surmounted by an openwork Buddhist lion-form finial, the stone a pale celadon color with a large swath of translucent gray at one side and scattered opaque beige inclusions (2)

Sotheby's London, 15th December 1981, lot 45.
Collection of Florence (1920-2018) and Herbert (1917-2016) Irving, no. 241.

The ewer and cover are in good condition with only a few minute nicks at the rims, finial, and foot. The fissure at the handle is natural.
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 form of this ewer derives from Islamic metalwork. Popular in the late Ming dynasty, Islamic-style ewers were produced in a variety of materials including porcelain, jade, and metal. See for example a white and russet jade example excavated from the Dingling Mausoleum, Beijing, and carved with a peach, wanzi, and shou character on the raised panels, illustrated in Gu Fang, Zhongguo chutu yuqi quanji / The Complete Collection of Jades Unearthed in China,  vol. 1,  Beijing, 2005, pl. 65. Compare also a slightly earlier spinach-green jade example with a floral spray carved into the lobed panel, with the remaining surface undecorated, illustrated in James C. Y. Watt, Chinese Jades in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, 1989, pl. 96. See also a mid to late Ming celadon jade example illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 206, carved allover with the 'Eight Immortals' and with elaborate fittings; a plain white jade ewer with a dragon-form handle from the collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, attributed to the 16th/17th century, sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 27th November 2007, lot 1538; and a 16th-17th century celadon jade ewer carved with blossoming prunus trees in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, exhibited in Jade: From Emperors to Art Deco, Musée Guimet, Paris, 2016, cat. no. 110. For contemporaneous examples in porcelain, compare the aubergine-glazed ewer with pierced dragon panels in the Topkapi Saray Museum, Istanbul, illustrated in Soame Jenyns, Ming Pottery and Porcelain, London, 1953, pl. 50A. See also a group of mid-16th century kinrande-decorated ewers illustrated in John Ayers, The Baur Collection: Ceramics, vol. II, Geneva, 1969, pls. A177-179.