Sculpture is about 25cm in length, 15 cm in height and 7cm in width, it is made form a type of stone, soft, looks like Tyger Eye stone , its carved out from one solid piece the front it has a dragon , with a tail starting at the right and reappear on the let of the sculpture - Japanese or Chinese, on the left and right it has like two holders for something, it was slightly damaged through the years, holes had appeared, at the bottom and the back, there are two stories that came over the years: 1. My Grandfather was a road builder and for in World War 2 and he was building roads in Egypt under command of Rommel, and somewhere during a road build he discovered this piece. 2. My Grandfather build roads after World War 2 for the South African government and somewhere in the vicinity of Kuduspoort this piece was found while building a road there
Family , from my Grandfather to my Father to me
Thank you for submitting your item for appraisal. This appears to be a chinese soapstone carving of the late Qing Dynasty, late 19th to early 20th century. These vases or spill vases were quite common and were exported in huge numbers. The vase in your possession is one of the nicer examples, showing a dragon chasing a pearl in the clouds. Soapstone is a very soft material and it is easy to carve. The estimate is based on similar items sold at auction. There is no measurement for the sentimental value you might attach to the item.