21 cm. （8 1/4 in.） high

Provenance：
Christie’s London， 4th December 1995， lot 241

The ‘kuilong’ pattern found on the present jade ewer first appeared on Wertern Zhou jades where the kui dragon was depicted as a single-footed mythical creature. The representation was rendered into a more abstract form as it was transferred to geometric patterns used to decorate bronze vessels during the Zhou dynasty onwards.
Large jade boulders such as the boulder from which the current vessel was carved were relatively scrace during the Ming dynasty and it is therefore quite rare to find carvings of this large size during this period.
The form of this ewer and cover relates closely to blue and white， kinrande and lacquer ewers from the Jiajing or Wanli periods such as the gilt-decorated kinrande ewer sold at Christie’s Hong Kong， 27 October 2003， lot 606. However， Jiajing and Wanli ewers are generally raised on a tall foot and the absence of the foot and the archaistic， rather than auspicious， design may suggest a slightly earlier date for the present ewer.

Price estimate:
HKD： 350,000-550,000
USD： 45,200-71,000

Auction Result:
HKD: --