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Identification and Creation

Object Number
1942.185.123.A-B
Title
Jade Covered Tripod Censer with Two Dragon-Head Ring-Handles, the Cover with a Knob in the Form of a Lion and Cub
Classification
Vessels
Work Type
vessel
Date
late 18th-early 19th century, possibly Qianlong period (1736-1795)
Places
Creation Place: East Asia, China
Period
Qing dynasty, 1644-1911
Culture
Chinese
Persistent Link
https://hvrd.art/o/205431

Physical Descriptions

Medium
Green jadeite, the vessel with inclusions of white albite
Dimensions
overall, with lid: H. 16.5 x W. 18.5 x D. 10.7 cm (6 1/2 x 7 5/16 x 4 3/16 in.)

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line
Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Ernest B. and Helen Pratt Dane
Accession Year
1942
Object Number
1942.185.123.A-B
Division
Asian and Mediterranean Art
Contact
am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
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Descriptions

Description
A green jadeite covered tripod censer of oval quadralobed form, the censer with plain, highly polished sides and raised on three curved legs that issue from lion masks; each shoulder carved with a large, projecting handle in the form of a dragon head, each dragon’s antler-like horns curving back and its long beard curving down to form a loop from which is suspended an integrally carved, free-turning ring; the censer’s squared lip projects outward, as does that of the matching cover, whose lightly indented sides echo the censer’s quatrefoil form; the flat-topped cover sports a reticulated handle in the form of two integrally carved Buddhist lions, the mature female lion standing on all fours and with her head turned back to look over her shoulder and across her back to her cub, which stands with its front paws on its mother’s haunches and its back paws on the cover’s flat top; like the mature lion, the cub also is integrally carved in free-standing relief; the translucent, glassy jade of varying tones of bright green with coffee-hued white inclusions.

Publication History

  • Jenny So, Early Chinese Jades in the Harvard Art Museums (Cambridge, MA, 2019), pp. 18-19, fig. 1.2

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Verification Level

This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu