The cup with deep rounded sides rising from a short straight foot, with three sinewy chilong dragons carved in high relief clambering up the sides and the head resting on the mouth rim. The mouth open to reveal the teeth, the stone of mottled green and whitish-grey tone. Measure 18x13x5.5 cm.
Natural inclusions and featherings to the stone.
Provenance
Property of a private Swedish collector.
Exhibitions
Compare one in the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge, Object no O.54-1946. Bequeathed (1946) by Raphael, Oscar C.
Compare with a related white jade cup with chilong handles, Ming dynasty, illustrated in the Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, 7, Beijing, 2011, p.160, no.139.
Literature
See a similar jade cup with three chilong handles, Ming dynasty, illustrated in "Zhongguo guojia bowuguancang wenwu yanjiu congshu: Yuqi juan", Shanghai, 2007 no.215. Another jade cup with three dragons, Ming dynasty, 16th/17th century, is in the Cleveland Museum of Art, illustrated by C.Y.Watt, "Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing", New York, 1980, p.165, no.139.
It is also interesting to note that a related jade cup with chilong found favour in the Islamic world and was presented by Shah Abbas I to the Ardebil Shrine in 1611, it is illustrated by S.Howard Hansford, "Chinese Carved Jades", London 1968, pl. 80B.
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