MID QING DYNASTY
Carved from spinach jade, the piece is made from quality jade of a spinach green color. The piece contains the pot and lid, the lid in a bowl shape with a flat top. The top has a carved ring with a large mouth and high knob; the lid has low reliefs of three sets of animal masks. The pot has a wide mouth, beam neck, puffed out stomach and rounded bottom with three short protruding feet. A pair of animal heads with rings in their mouths is carved on the rim of the mouth of the pot as a pair of handles. The body of the pot is composed of four sets of six vertical ridges, of which the two sets of ridges on the front and back walls of the pot serve as the center of an animal mask made up of two kuilong dragons. The entire piece is reminiscent of Shang and Zhou Dynasty tripods and is fine product of the retro trend of the eighteenth century. D: 18.5 cm
Comparison the Palace Museum in Beijing has a similar classically styled jade food vessel. For details, see page 188, Jade, Vol. 3 edited by Zhang Guang-wen, Hong Kong. Commercial Press, 1995