LARGE SPINACH JADE ARCHAISTIC 'CONG' VASE QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG FANGGU MARK, 18TH CENTURY 清 '大清乾隆倣古'刻款 碧玉雕仿古饕餮蟬紋螭龍耳琮式瓶 carved as rectangular cong form, supported on a short splayed foot, the sides subdivided into three mains sections, the middle section carved in low relief with stylised taotie head with large horns, the upper and lower section further incised decorated with a cicada motif flanked by four horizontal divisions, either side of the vase carved with two sets of tree entangling chi-dragons in openwork as handles, the base inscribed with a six-character 'Da Qing Qianlong Fanggu (Made in imitation of antiquity in the Qianlong reign of the Great Qing dynasty)', the stone of dark spinach-green tone with some black inclusions (32cm high) Qty: (1) Provenance: Formerly in the collection of Adrianus Cornelis Maria Verhelst (b. 26th February 1955), The Netherlands. Note: The use of fanggu mark, meaning 'imitating antiquity', was used during the Qianlong reign on archaistic jade vessels. The present lot with its archaic jade inspired cong form and design of taotie mask embodies the artistic pursuit of fanggu. Compare a related archaistic spinach green jade square gu vase and a gong vessel with chi-dragon decoration, both with Qianlong fanggu mark and of the period, from the Qing Court Collection, are in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, museum number Gu Yu 故玉248 and 732.