Jade cup, Western Han dynasty

Beautiful yellow jade with ochre and amber flecks. It has a hollow elliptical foot, which narrows in the centre and opens towards the globular-shaped body, richly decorated with incised ruyi patterns and mythological beasts sculpted in relief and arranged on the sides. A thin, smooth band divides the body from the wide, elongated neck, which widens to form a turned-up mouth that ends in a scroll. This neck shows a complex scene of archaic mythological animals on a background of ruyis. The volute of the mouth is joined to the shoulders by two thin bands from which mobile rings hang. In good condition, with patina caused by the passage of time.  Western Han Dynasty (206 BC - AD 8) or later.

Size: 13.5 x 5 x 9.5 cm; Weight: 398 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.