AN ARCHAISTIC WHITE JADE VASE, GU, QING DYNASTY China, 1750-1850. Supported by a splayed and stepped foot, rising to a flattened globular mid-section angling to a wide trumpet mouth, the facetted sides are carved with taotie masks between bands of stylized dragons, borders of plantain leaves and leiwen at the neck and foot. Provenance: From the estate of an English nobleman. Condition: Very good condition with old wear, fine patina and two minor natural fissures in the stone. Weight: 91.3 g Dimensions: Height 13.2 cm The translucent stone is of very pale celadon-white color with few clouds of crystalline white. Note the finely carved openwork handles in the shape of mystic birds. Overall, the incision work is outstanding in execution and rich in detail. This white jade vase is based on a Shang or early Western Zhou dynasty bronze prototype. Archaism permeates the arts of China from the Song dynasty onwards and reaches its peak during the 17th and 18th century. The aesthetic is rooted in Neo-Confucianism, the philosophy and state ideology prevalent in Song dynasty China, which emphasized tradition and past precedents. The production of woodblock printed catalogues of the imperial collections in the 18th century explains the particular precision of Qing dynasty antiquarianism and its strong connection with court taste. Literature comparison: Compare with a related white jade gu, illustrated in Zhongguo Yuqi Shangjian, Hong Kong, 1996, pl. 631, and a related green jade gu and a variation with flanges, in Jade Ware (III) in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, pl. 130 and 131. 白玉雙耳觚，清代 中國，1750-1850。全器扁方，仿自銅器三段式觚形，脰部外撇、圓鼓腹、有圈足。脰部旁有二耳，作飛鳥雕，脰部飾蟬形紋，腹部飾獸面紋，圈足則有雷紋和蟬形紋。 來源：英國貴族遺產 品相：品相極好，老磨損，包漿細膩，玉石内可見兩道細微天然裂紋。 重量：91.3 克 尺寸：高 13.2 厘米