CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, ÉPOQUE QIANLONG (1736-1795)

The current vessel represents the pinnacle of jade artistry in the 18th century when large boulders of very fine white jade became readily available after the Qianlong Emperor’s conquest of the Khotan area in 1759 and were worked to perfection befitting the taste of the imperial family.
Probably used as an imperial cosmetic box, this exquisitely carved jade lian box and cover would have made an appropriate birthday gift. The motif of lingzhi represents longevity and the stylized shou (longevity) medallion on the cover reinforces the wish for long life and the birthday symbolism.
Two similar imperial jade lian and cover, is in the collection of Palace Museum Collection, Beijing, illustrated in Jadeware III - The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong 1995, p.241-242, no.197-198. Compare to another jade bowl and cover, depicting the same harmonious lobed body and delicate ruyi decoration, in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of New York (Accession Number: 2015.500.5.47a, b), gifted by Florence and Herbert Ivring in 2015. See an exceptional white jade lian and cover decorated with 'elephants holding loose ring', from the collection of Baron Jean-Baptiste Louis Gros (1793-1870), sold at Christie's Paris, 9 June 2015, lot 71.