White Jade Double Gourd Brush Washer Coupe

The double gourd shape has been exemplified in Chinese culture for centuries.  Double gourds are symbols of fertility.  All scholars had some sort of coupe, water pot or brush washer on their desk.  This pure milk bright white semi-translucent example is beautifully carved with high relief in the 18th century tradition.  Its outside with many curly vines and leaves.  Sometimes coupes held water to purify ones hands.  Approximately 6 ½” long x 3 ½” wide x 2” high. Qing Dynasty.  Formally in the Belz collection, Memphis, Tennessee. For A Similar Antique Example:The Illustrated Record Of The Stanley Nott Collection Of Chinese Jades, By Stanley Charles Nott, 1942.Page 370 Plate LXXXII - Specimen No. 72.Described As:A GOURD-SHAPED MARRIAGE BOWL made to hold the water used to purify the hands of participants previous to their supplicating the Ancestral Influences. Dated As: Yung-cheng, 1723-1735 A.D.See Ending Illustration For A Picture From This BookFor Another Similar Example:Sotheby's Ne