Ɏ AN IMPERIAL SPINACH JADE INSET ZITAN ‘DRAGON’ TRAY, QIANLONG PERIOD

Ɏ AN IMPERIAL SPINACH JADE INSET ZITAN ‘DRAGON’ TRAY, QIANLONG PERIOD China, 1736-1795. Of rectangular form, the Zitan wood tray masterfully carved with rounded corners, supported on short bracket feet. The wide borders are carved in relief with five auspicious bats interspersed with ruyi-head ornaments, all connected by a neatly carved fabric string, above a keyfret band. The center with a pair of imperial five-clawed dragons in pursuit of the flaming pearl, sinuously carved, thrashing among tumultuous waves. The pearl is in the form of a jade inset of mottled green tone with inclusions. Provenance: Property sold to benefit the fund of Heritage Museum of Asian Art, Chicago, Illinois. An old catalog label to the verso, ‘Heritage Museum of Asian Art, Cat# 141230’. Condition: Excellent condition with minor wear and natural imperfections. Weight: 1,043 g Dimensions: Size 32.5 x 24 x 3 cm Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3505 Price: HKD 750,000 or approx. EUR 100,000 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: A Zitan box with carved dragons, early Qing dynasty Expert remark: Compare the closely related material and similar rendition of dragons. Auction result comparison: Type: Related Auction: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 5 April 2017, lot 3634 Price: HKD 625,000 or approx. EUR 83,500 converted and adjusted for inflation at the time of writing Description: An imperial jade-inlaid carved Zitan ‘scholar’ table screen, Qing dynasty Expert remark: Compare the related modeling and jade inlay. This item contains ivory, rhinoceros horn, tortoise shell, and/or some types of tropical wood and is subject to CITES when exporting outside the EU. It is typically not possible to export such items outside of the EU, including to the UK. Therefore, after this item has the necessary trade certificate, it can only be shipped within the EU or picked up in our gallery in person.