18.7 cm. (7 3/8 in.) wide

Worked with great finesse from a single lustrous white stone, the bulbous body raised on a short circular foot, incised with two decorative bands at the foot beneath a wide undecorated frieze, all curving towards the inverted rim carved in low relief with a band of ruyi - heads above a narrow band of stylised confronting chilong, flanked by a pair of elaborate handles each formed as an elegant butterfly, its wings spread wide and life - like body depicted with astonishing realism and detail, each further suspending plain loose ring._x000D_
Provenance:_x000D_
Acquired from John Sparks Ltd., London on 1st December 1954_x000D_
A European Private Collection_x000D_
Bonhams London, An Important European Collection of Chinese Art, 17 May 2012, lot 18

Price estimate:
HKD: 1,500,000 - 2,000,000
USD: 191,100 - 254,800

Auction Result:
HKD : 1,770,000