The form of this impressive cloisonné enamel vessel is derived from the archaic bronze fanghu (“square jar”), a ritual wine vessel type that first emerged toward the end of the Shang dynasty, in the 12th century BC. The enduring admiration for this ancient form continued throughout the Ming and Qing dynasties. A cloisonné enamel fanghu of closely related form, decorated with a dragon and a phoenix, dated to the Kangxi period in the latter half of the 17th century, is illustrated in H. Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, The Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1989, no. 157. See also a similarly decorated fanghu, dated to the second half of the 17th century and featuring taotie mask and banana-leaf motifs, sold at Christie’s New York, 17 September 2010, lot 1033.