A rare Mughal pale celadon jade pouring vessel. India, 18th century - Sothebys

the compressed globular body surmounted by a ribbed neck, set with a pair of floral handles and a long facetted spout, the exterior carved in shallow relief with detached floral sprays above a lappet band, all below overhanging floral motifs at the shoulder, the base carved with a floral medallion with curled petals, the polished stone of a pale celadon tone; 16.5cm., 6 1/2 in. Estimation: 40,000 - 60,000 GBP

PROVENANCE: Christie’s New York, 28th March 1996, lot 41.
A Californian Private Collection.
Sotheby's London, 10th June 1997, lot 205.

NOTE: The thin translucent body and relief floral desgin of the present vessel suggests that it is a product Hindustan jade carvers working in Mughal India. Hindustan jades were introduced into China during the middle of the reign of the Qianlong emperor and throughout the rest of his reign large numbers of jades from the Muslim regions were send as tribute to the Qing court. The emperor's appreciation for them saw Muslim carvers enter the Palace Workshops to fashion similar wares and by 1764 exact copies of the Indian Jades held at the Palace were reproduced by Chinese craftsmen working at the court.A number of related Mughal vessels in the collection of the National Palace Museum, Taipei, were included in the exhibition Exquisite Beauty. Islamic Jades, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, cat. nos 96-99.

Sotheby's. Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art. London | 15 mai 2013 www.sothebys.com