A rare archaistic jade pouring bowl, Ming Dynasty, 16th-17th century. Photo: Bonhams.

Of compressed globular form, rising to the short waisted neck and everted rim, flanked by a pair of handles, each carved as a joint tongue issuing from the open jaws of two confronted dragons, with a separately made dragon-head spout, set at the centre of the body carved with a main band of whirl medallions, between two pairs of confronted archaistic pacing dragons, and above incised petal panels each enclosing a pair of confronted archaistic dragon-heads, the slightly recessed base with an archaistic script seal mark, the stone of cream tone with brown streaks and cloudy inclusions. 25cm (9 7/8in) wide. Estimate £30,000 - 50,000 (€37,000 - 61,000)

Property from the Collection of Jacques and Galila Hollander Jacques and Galila Hollander

The russet streaked cream tone of the jade stone would be typically associated with the Ming dynasty. The generous proportions of the pouring vessel suggest it would have been a prized possession, possibly made for the Imperial Court or for a high ranking official. The use of a dragon-head shaped spout would indicate the former and is reminiscent of the massive marble dragon-head shaped spouts used in throughout the architecture of the Forbidden City. As dragons in Chinese folklore have strong associations to water, believed to rule moving bodies of water, it would have been appropriate to use a dragon-head to form the spout. compare a bronze pouring vessel with a dragon-head shaped spout and dragon-tail shaped handle, illustrated by P.K.Hu in Later Chinese Bronzes: The Saint Louis Art Museum and Robert E. Kresko Collections, St Louis, 2008, p.68.

The pouring vessel is flanked by a pair of handles, each carved as a tongue issuing from the jaws of a dragon-head. These are similar in form to handles used on jade and bronze vessels dated to the Ming dynasty. For related jade handles on Ming dynasty vessels see Zheng Xinmiao, ed., Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 7 - Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, pls.32-36. Similar 'whirl' motifs can be found on Ming dynasty jade and bronze vessels; for a pale green jade gui, see Zheng Xinmiao, ibid., pl.32; for a bronze incense burner dated by inscription to 1481, see S.Riddell, Dated Chinese Antiquities 600-1650, London, 1979, pl.123. For a related dragon-head shaped spout on a jade vase, Ming dynasty, from the Palace Museum, Beijing, see Zheng Xinmiao, ibid., pl.30.

Bonhams. FINE CHINESE ART, London, New Bond Street, 15 May 2014 -http://www.bonhams.com/