A Chinese lead-green-glazed 'hill jar' and cover, boshan luHan dynastyStanding on three bear feet, the cylindrical vessel moulded with wild animals including tigers, lions and stags between craggy peaks and a pair of mock-embossed animal-mask-and-ring handles, the cover also moulded in relief with tigers, monkeys and other wild animals amongst craggy peaks, covered overall in a rich, lead-green glaze with spots of brownish hue, 25cm high.漢 綠釉獸足博山爐Cf. Jars like the present lot are a very well known form of Han Dynasty tomb pottery; they often represent either Mount Bo or Mount Kunlun, which are two well known Daoist mountains. From the bears on the legs, chosen for their protective powers, to the Animals of the Four Directions strategically placed in the undulating peaks of the mountains, the decoration on such jars is typically ripe with auspicious symbols, and evokes the journey of the deceased to the immortal realms.Sometimes catalogued as incense burners, vessels of this type are found in most major museum collections in the world; an example in the British Museum, museum no. 1909,0512.29; one in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, no.13.100.13a, b; and the Brooklyn Museum, accession no. 1995.49a-b.