Lot 179
RARE CHINESE AGATE CARVED MYTHICAL CREATURE-FORM VESSEL WITH COVER
YONG SHOU ZHI BAO MARK, QING DYNASTY, 18TH-19TH CENTURY
Auction: 07 November 2025 from 10:00 GMT
Description
清 永壽之寶款 瑪瑙雕龜鶴延年擺件
carved in the form of a dragon-head tortoise, depicted standing on its four bent legs, the tortoiseshell and mane minutely incised, a movable loop ring suspended from the dragon-head tortoise's neck, the lid placed on the back of the fantastic animal represents a crane holding a lingzhi spray in its beak, on the animal's belly carved inscription Yong Shou Zhi Bao ('Treasure of Eternal Longevity'), the stone of even translucent colour with brownish hue
Dimensions
10.7cm wide
Footnote
Two closely comparable vessels of the same dragon-head tortoise and crane design, both carved with the same four-character mark: one made of rock crystal, was in The Fryers Collection, sold at Christie's London, 18 May 2012, lot 1121; the other of agate in a private French collection, sold at Christie's Paris, 8 Dec 2021, lot 252.