Carved jade cup with lid, Han dynasty

Beautiful carved jade in shades of green, yellow and ochre. It has a flared base with a circular base that ascends to form a slender foot. The deep U-shaped tubular body widens slightly at the mouth. On both the lower and upper parts of the body are two decorative borders with embossed details of petals (on the foot) and scrolls (on the rim of the mouth). The belly is profusely decorated with a '谷纹' grain pattern that coincides with the centre of the interlaced and incised scrolls on the jade. 

Throughout the Han dynasty, carved jade cups were objects of great value, only produced and used by the Chinese imperial nobility and high society. Their use is believed to have been reserved for the celebration of immorality rites, as a container for the ingredients of the much sought-after elixir of immortality, because of its translucent and hard properties, it was considered to possess protective powers.  Han Dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD) 

Height: 12.3 cm; Mouth diameter: 3.8 cm; Base diameter: 2.9 cm; Weight: 78 gr

Provenance: Collection of Tommy Lam, Hong Kong, from 1980.-Previous owner of lot: 48, (Imperial white jade "ziqiang buxi" seal, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736 - 1795)) Auctioned: Important Hong Kong Collection, Tommy Lam - Asian Art. 25 October 2023. Darley Auctions.

References: 

- MET Museum. Asian art collection. Lot number SL.1.2017.25.2

- Sotheby's. Monochrome II (9, Oct. 2020) Lot 19.

- Bonhams. The Sze Yan Tang Collection of Chinese Jades (5, Apr. 2016) Lot 38.