The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 19, 2025

Cup with Dragon Handles

1662–1722

China, Qing dynasty

(1644-1911), Kangxi reign (1662-1722)
Pale gray-green white jade
Diameter: 14.6 cm (5 3/4 in.); Overall: 4.6 cm (1 13/16 in.)
Gift of J. H. Wade 1920.424
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

Auspicious inscriptions on the base and front of the jade cup convey wishes for longevity.

Description

Three dragons, auspicious symbols for good fortune, grasp the rim of this bowl. A large shou (longevity) character is visible on the outside wall. Drinking cups with dragon handles were elite luxuries. The yellowish-white color and refined techniques are characteristic of Suzhou workshops that served the court, scholar-officials, and the merchant class. The optimistic attribution to Lu Zigang (late 1500s), a jade master recorded to have been active in Suzhou, suggests that its maker used the master’s name to attract wealthy clients eager to demonstrate their refined taste and connoisseurship.
  • ?–1920
    Mr. Jeptha Homer Wade II [1857–1926], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1920–
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Michigan Oriental Art Society, and Cranbrook Institute of Science. Chinese Jades, the Great Tradition: Exhibition Sponsored Jointly by Michigan Oriental Art Society and Cranbrook Institute of Science at Cranbrook Institute of Science. Bloomfield Hills, MI: The Society, 1977. Reproduced: cat. no. 25, cover photo
    Watt, James C. Y. Chinese Jades from Han to Chʻing. New York: Asia Society, in association with J. Weatherhill, 1980. cat. no. 139
    Griswold, William, Xiaofei Tian, Richard Von Glahn, Feng Zhao, S. J. Vainker, Masaaki Itakura, Jiang Wu, et al. China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. Edited by Clarissa Von Spee. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023. Mentioned and reproduced: p. 358, no. 194
  • China’s Southern Paradise: Treasures from the Lower Yangzi Delta. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 10, 2023-January 7, 2024).
    China through the Magnifying Glass: Masterpieces in Miniature and Detail. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 11, 2022-February 26, 2023).
    Chinese Jades from Han to Ch'ing, Asia House Gallery, New York, NY (October 9-December 7, 1980); Detroit Institute of Fine Arts, Detroit, MI (January 12-February 22, 1981); Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, WA (March 26-May 10, 1981); Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI (May 17-September 13, 1981).
    Chinese Jades: The Great Tradition. Cranbrook Institute of Science, Bloomfield Hills, MI (organizer) (September 10-October 31, 1977).
  • {{cite web|title=Cup with Dragon Handles|url=false|author=|year=1662–1722|access-date=19 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1920.424