Dimensions: Height 5,5 cm Wide 9 cm Depth 5,5 cm

Weight: 165 grams

The vessel is finely carved from deep green jadeite with a globular, raised-dot surface pattern, supported on three short legs. The bowl features ferocious beast-head handles—likely stylized taotie masks—with bared teeth and prominent eyes, which would have evoked spiritual protection or potency. This iconography is consistent with ritual bronzes and jades of earlier dynasties, demonstrating the continuation of archaic styles into the Six Dynasties period.

The intricate detailing and form suggest a high-status ceremonial purpose, likely used for offerings in ancestral or funerary contexts. The piece reflects the transitional aesthetics between late Han and early medieval Chinese traditions, where jade still held a profound association with immortality and spiritual refinement.

Many jade vessels from the late Han period (particularly funerary or tomb objects) mimic Shang/Zhou bronze tripod ding or square fangding shapes, often adorned with taotie masks, knobbed surfaces, and stylized animal features.

Though bronze, not jade, many Eastern Zhou ritual bronzes embraced an archaistic revival even in their own time. These were heavily decorative, with dense spiral patterns, animal masks, and textured bodies.

During the Six Dynasties, jade artisans began crafting miniaturized ceremonial pieces modeled after antiquities. These were sometimes placed in tombs or shrines, symbolizing continuity with the classical past.