A large carved pale celadon jade rhyton. Qing dynasty, 19th century. Photo Sotheby's

the flattened tapered vessel raised on three short feet, well-carved with a handle in the form of a sinuous chilong clambering on one side peering over the mouthrim with its chin resting on the edge, the opposite side forming the spout and adorned with a phoenix modelled in the round with wings outstretched and its tail suspending a loose ring, the exterior incised with archaistic lingzhi scrolls and detached C-scrolls, the stone of pale celadon tone with russet veining to the base; 22.8cm., 9in. Estimate 50,000—70,000 GBP. Lot Sold 433,250 GBP

NOTE: Jade rhytons of this large size are rare and the present piece is unusual for the phoenix carved with wings outspread in the round beneath the lipped mouth; see a smaller example flanked with a similar bird and chilong, but the rounded body decorated with a seahorse and phoenix, from the collection of Lord Tredegar and sold in these rooms, 26^th July 1960, lot 127. Birds of this type are more commonly seen on 'champion vases', such as one depicting an eagle above a bear, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Jadeware (III), Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 151.

Compare jade rhytons of related form carved with a similar chilong clambering up the side, but lacking feet, such as one sold in these rooms, 7^th March 1978, lot 243; another sold in our New York rooms, 19^th March 2007, lot 25; and a third example sold at Christie's London, 4^th April 1977, lot 80.

Originally a drinking vessel made from ox or buffalo horn, rhytons were later produced in a range of different media. Jade versions appeared in China in the Han dynasty (206BC-AD220) and were probably introduced from Central or Western Asia in the form of silver or a precious stone. See a jade rhyton from the tomb of the Han dynasty King Nan Yue at Guangzhou, illustrated in Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p. 70, fig. 61.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics & Works of Art, 11 May 11, London www.sothebys.com