A rare pale green jade mythical beast waterpot


Ming DynastySuperbly carved as a gongfu, known as one of the dragon's nine sons, carved in crouching position with ears and horns flicking back as though preparing to pounce on its prey, rendered with an elongated torso flanked by a pair of wings and flame-like tendrils, terminating in a bifurcated tail with curling ends, the interior well-hollowed, the stone of greenish-white tone. 11.5cm (4 1/2in) long.
|明 白玉雕蚣蝮硯滴Gongfu, one of the nine sons of dragon in Chinese legend, has a power of regulating flow in rivers and lakes. Gilt-bronze waterpots cast in its form have been widely found since the Han dynasty.Compare with two similar pale green jade mythical beast waterpots, Ming dynasty, illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade 6: Ming Dynasty, Beijing, 2011, nos.74-75; compare also with a similar example, 17th century, which was sold at Christie's New York, 21 March 2019, lot 1170.白玉質，圓雕蚣蝮形，蚣蝮方嘴，如意翹頭鼻，臣字目，長彎眉，雙角直挺，雙腿前伏，兩脇生翼，背部開孔，內部掏膛，口沿陰刻絞絲紋，鬃毛上翹兩散，尾部分叉而捲曲，毛髮皆以陰線刻劃，細密規整，四爪鋒利，足底平削，為典型明代工法。蚣蝮為龍生九子之一，又稱𧈢𧏡，性喜水，傳說其能調節水量，令河水「少能載船，多不淹禾」。漢代以來蚣蝮形象便被用於硯滴，多銅製，取其好水善調節之意。北京故宮藏兩見明代青玉異獸形硯滴可資參考，見《故宮博物院藏品大系玉器篇6》，北京，2011年，頁74及75，編號49及50；還可參考一件十七世紀青玉辟邪形水丞，實為蚣蝮形硯滴，2019年3月21日售於佳士得紐約，拍品編號1170。