71. * A CARVED SPINACH GREEN JADE ARCHAIZING RHYTON Qianlong period (1736-1795) A FINE SPINACH-GREEN JADE ARCHAISTIC RHYTON Qianlong period The well-hollowed vessel of elongated form tapering towards the base carved in relief with a large taotie mask with bulging eyes under bushy brows, the horns laid back and forming the base, carved in low relief around the exterior with archaistic scrolls and five sinuous chilong dragons clambering up and around the sides of the cup, the stone of mottled green colour with black speckles, wood stand. 14.4cm (5 5/8in) high (2). 清乾隆 碧玉雕螭龍觥 The present rhyton cup with 'five chilong' draws inspiration from Han dynasty jade cups; see for example one jade cup illustrated by Chang Li-tuan's, The Refined Taste of the Emperor: Special Exhibition of Archaic and Pictorial Jades of the Ch'ing Court, Taipei, 1997, p.126. This reflects the Qianlong emperor's desire to 'restore ancient ways', indicating that jade artisans looked to the past for guidance in infusing their creations with the purported spirit of the ancients: simplicity, honesty, refinement, and elegance. These 'ancient ways' encompassed Confucian values such as sincerity, simplicity, and joyous exuberance, but bolstered the Manchu emperor's legitimacy of governing China. A similar Imperially-inscribed jade spinach-green rhyton cup, Qianlong, in the collection of the Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated by Chang Li-tuan, Ibid. pl.34. Another related spinach green jade rhyton cup, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Shanghai, 2008, pl.121. See also a related jade rhyton cup dated to the 16th/17th century of the Ming dynasty, in the Guimet Museum, Paris, illustrated in Jade: From Emperors to Art Deco, Paris, 2016, p.119; see also a related rhyton cup illustrated in Ibid, p.150, in the scroll Guwan tu (Pictures of Ancient Playthings) of the Yongzheng Emperor, in the British Museum.