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Lot Essay
These dazzling boxes and covers are inlaid with multi-coloured paste glass, a decorative technique that was inspired by European automaton clocks that so enchanted the Qianlong Emperor. Although the technique is western, the style of the boxes and their decorative theme is undoubtedly Chinese.
These boxes and covers are a great example of how Western techniques and aesthetics were adapted by Chinese artists for the Palace. Compare to a related pair of Canton gilt-copper snuff boxes inlaid with agate which were tribute boxes to the Qing court; Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Hong Kong, no.29, 30, p. 76.
A similarly rendered gilt-bronze vase inlaid with polychrome paste glass of the same colour scheme was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3011.
These boxes and covers are a great example of how Western techniques and aesthetics were adapted by Chinese artists for the Palace. Compare to a related pair of Canton gilt-copper snuff boxes inlaid with agate which were tribute boxes to the Qing court; Tributes from Guangdong to the Qing Court, Hong Kong, no.29, 30, p. 76.
A similarly rendered gilt-bronze vase inlaid with polychrome paste glass of the same colour scheme was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 May 2014, lot 3011.