It is a bowl made from green-coloured nephrite with two handles in the shape of dragons. It began during the Song epoch (960-1279). The tradition of collecting and copying antique bronzes later continued and influenced other fields of crafts including nephrite artworks. This nephrite bowl is an excellent example of such artifact. Its shape was copied from sacrificial gui bronze vessel. Nephrite objects have taken a special place in Chinese art because of the stone's value which was very precious and worshipped by Chinese people. The bowl is characterized by its simple shape and subtle light green hue with strips of colour naturally created in the solid lump of the stone. The beautiful form and carefully carved decoration reflect the mastery of workmanship. http://cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl/dmuseion/docmetadata?id=2761&show_nav=true

History of the Object

The bowl belonged to Ignacy Jan Paderewski (1860-1941), a well-known personality in Poland and abroad. He was not only a famous pianist and composer, but also a political activist, a patriot fighting for Polish independence and a prominent politician in the newly established 2nd Republic of Poland. And yet, he should be remembered for his passion for art. In 1899 Paderewski acquired a large estate in Switzerland, where he lived and collected his art objects. The collection, aside from Oriental artifacts (over 400, mostly from 17th-19th centuries), also includes Polish and foreign paintings, silverware, musical instruments, etc. Fullfilling the will of the composer, it was transferred to the National Museum in Warsaw in 1951.