CHINE DYNASTIE QING, XVIIIe-XIXe SIÈCLE

Rare tulu incense burner cover In celadon nephrite jade, of rectangular form, the corners flanked by four medallions decorated with chilong figures. The grip is formed by a powerful imperial dragon with a gnarled body resting on its four legs. H. 5 cm; Dim. 8.5 x 9.5 cm NOTE: This unusual container shape derives from a model of archaic bronzes from the Shang and Zhou Shang and Zhou eras. It was originally designed to hold pigments in the four corner compartments, with a water container in the center. The model was revived in the 18th century and transformed into an archaic incense burner, in keeping with the Qing elite's taste for models from antiquity. A similar lid in the collections of the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in "The Complete Collections of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware III", n°156, p. 190.