A finely crafted Ancient Chinese Qing Dynasty jade bowl, featuring an elegant, curved profile. The bowl stands on a short flat ring foot, from which the gently sloping walls gradually flare out into a wide opening with an everted rim. The stone is a beautiful partially translucent olive-green colour, allowing the light to pass through showcasing intricate moss-like patterns. Jade, in Chinese civilisations, holds high value not only as a social marker but as a symbol of beauty, grace and purity. Jade has been part of Chinese civilisations from the Neolithic period and spans in importance to modern day. In Ancient civilisations it was sought after as its strength and hardness made it the ideal stone for tools and weaponry. They further lavishly used it for dress ornaments, ritual objects, and protection of the dead in tombs. Under the patronage of Qianlong, of the Qing Dynasty, jade carvings enjoyed unprecedented growth, in a time when China directly controlled the Central Asian jade-yielding regions of Hotan and Yarkland. Measurements: Circa Diameter 12.5cm x H 5.5cm Provenance: From a West country collection, Bath, UK, 1990s