A rare pale green jade 'dragons' vase and cover


QianlongExquisitely carved in relief to the tapering body with bats swooping amidst billowing clouds, the waisted neck climbed by a large chilong and its kin in mutual pursuit of the flaming pearl, all above craggy rocks protruding on a ground of crashing and swirling waves extending to the base, the cover surmounted by a stepped finial, the semi-translucent stone of a pale green tone with streaky inclusions, wood stand. 25.7cm (10 1/8in) high (3).
|清乾隆 青白玉蒼龍教子蓋瓶Provenance: Papazian and Eskenazi, Milan An Italian private collection, acquired from the above on 12 March 1958, and thence by descent來源：米蘭古董商Papazian and Eskenazi意大利私人收藏，於1958年3月12日購自上者，並由後人保存迄今The motif of an adult and young dragon seems to have been favoured by the Qianlong Emperor and has been interpreted as conveying the message of the father teaching his son the way of life, and within the Imperial family, that of the emperor giving lessons to the prince.Compare a white jade vase and cover, Qing dynasty, from the Qing Court Collection, similarly carved with adult and young dragons pursuing the flaming pearl, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware II, Beijing, 2008, pl.21. See also another related jade 'dragon' vase and cover, Qianlong, illustrated by R.Kleiner, Chinese Jade from the Collection of Alan and Simone Hartman, Hong Kong, 1996, p.191, no.147.