A RARE ARCHAISTIC SPINACH-GREEN JADE TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, DING Qianlong (3)A RARE ARCHAISTIC SPINACH-GREEN JADE TRIPOD INCENSE BURNER AND COVER, DINGQianlongExpertly carved supported on three short cabriole feet issuing from mythical beast-heads, carved around the exterior with archaistic taotie motifs rising to an elegantly waisted rim flanked by a paid of S-shaped handles, the domed cover similarly carved with dense floral scroll and surmounted by a coiling dragon finial, the stone of dark green tone with striations, hongmu stand. 18cm (7in) wide (3).清乾隆 碧玉雕仿古紋龍鈕三足蓋爐Provenance: William Clayton Ltd., London, 24 October 1977James Basil Wilson and Julia Wilson, and thence by descentIn 1945, James Basil Wilson returned from The Second World War having served with the Gurkhas. He married Julia Burke in 1949 and they moved to London. James started working for Iron and Steel Exporters and later that year, he was offered the chance to set up an office Hong Kong, so they moved there and set up home. The business was successful, they loved Hong Kong and they lived the life of ex-patriates to the full. They swam, played golf, made friends and indulged their passion for fast cars, competing in amateur road races. Julia claimed to have won at the first Macau Grand Prix. As well as enjoying the pastimes of the culture they brought with them, they developed an enduring love for China, Chinese people, Chinese food and Chinese art. With a growing family, they returned to England in 1957. They brought with them the pieces they had bought in Hong Kong and James made many trips to Hong Kong and continued to build their collection throughout the following decades mainly from dealers in London.來源：倫敦古董商William Clayton Ltd.，1977年10月24日James Basil Wilson與Julia Wilson伉儷舊藏，並由後人保存迄今James Basil Wilson二戰期間曾於廓爾喀軍團服役，1945年返回英國。 1949年與Julia Burke結婚，婚後搬至倫敦，並開始為Iron and Steel Exporters效力，同年被委任籌備香港辦事處，遂移居香港。事業發展蒸蒸日上的同時，Wilson伉儷也充分享受著外派人士的理想生活；游泳、打高爾夫、結交朋友，沉迷賽車運動甚至參加業餘車手街道賽，Julia聲稱曾完賽首屆澳門格蘭披治大賽車。在保留西方生活方式的同時，Wilson伉儷也對中國及其民眾、美食和藝術產生了長久的熱情。 1957年，隨著家庭的不斷壯大，Wilson一家回到英國，並帶回了其在香港購置的藝術品。此後，James多次前往香港，並在接下來的幾十年中持續造訪倫敦的古董商，擴充藏品。Inspired by the shape and decoration of archaic bronze food vessels of the Zhou dynasty, the present vessel is a fine example of the stylistic developments during the 18th century inspired by the wishes of the Qianlong emperor. Aiming to 'restore the ancient ways', the emperor wished to reinstate the intrinsic qualities of simplicity, sincerity and happy exuberance of ancient culture. For this purpose, the emperor instructed the Court to collect drawings of antiquities, such as the 'Catalogue of Xiqing Antiquities' (Xiqing gujian 西清古鑑), which served as sources of designs for the production of contemporary vessels. See Chang Li-tuan, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, pp.49-50.See a similar spinach-green jade tripod incense burner and cover, Qing dynasty, illustrated in Jasper Wares of Qing Dynasty Collected by the Palace Museum and Manasi, Beijing, 2014, p.140, no.49. Compare with a related spinach-green jade tripod incense burner and cover, Qianlong, illustrated by S.C.Nott, Chinese Jade throughout the Ages, Rutland, 1971, pl.CXVIII; see also a related spinach-green jade incense burner and cover, Qianlong, illustrated by R.Keverne, ed., Jade, London, 1992, p.163, fig.89.