明末清初　玉雕卮杯|Archaic-style cup with ring handle

Unknown

17th century · Jade (nephrite) · Asian Art

The abstract bodies of the two intertwined birds on the surface of this cup can be traced to the Bronze Age. The shape of the cup is based on similar jade cups of the Western Han dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 9), and so are the multiple raised dots in the background, which derive ultimately from the simulated granulation on the surface of metalwork of the late Eastern Zhou dynasty (770–256 B.C.).

Artist

Unknown

Date

17th century

Medium

Jade (nephrite)

Culture

China

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Gift of Florence and Herbert Irving, 2015