Yellow jade oil lamp, Warring States period

Yellow jade oil lamp, made of nephrite in a honey-yellow hue with a profuse patina and marked mineral alterations in ochre and reddish-brown tones. The piece has an architectural structure consisting of an openwork conical base, a bulbous central body decorated with bands of geometric motifs, and a wide upper rim with a raised edge. It has a hemispherical lid topped by an intertwined ring handle, decorated with fine bas-reliefs of clouds and waves. The technical complexity of its ornamentation, which includes openwork ridges on the sides, is noteworthy. These jade lamps were sumptuous objects of the highest rank, intended for ritual or domestic use by the royal aristocracy. Warring States period (475–221 BC) or later.

Height: 17 cm; Largest diameter: 11.8 cm

Weight: 946 g

Provenance:

· Collection of Tommy Lam, Hong Kong, since 1980.