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Lot Essay
The present elegant ‘lotus’ box and cover are distinguished by their refined simplicity, in which the auspicious lotus petals are left unadorned to reveal the luminous purity of the fine white jade. In Qing court culture, the lotus symbolised purity, moral integrity, and spiritual enlightenment, virtues esteemed by both the emperor and the scholar-official elite.
The workmanship of this piece is exceptional, notable for the rare addition of delicately carved loose-ring handles suspended from the finial.
A closely related white jade ‘lotus’ bowl and cover, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, from the Qing Court collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Shanghai, 2008, pl. 253. See also a pale green jade example, Qing dynasty, in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol. 10, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, pl. 122.
Compare also a related white jade bowl and cover, Qianlong period, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3024.
The workmanship of this piece is exceptional, notable for the rare addition of delicately carved loose-ring handles suspended from the finial.
A closely related white jade ‘lotus’ bowl and cover, with a Qianlong mark and of the period, from the Qing Court collection, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Shanghai, 2008, pl. 253. See also a pale green jade example, Qing dynasty, in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum: Jade, vol. 10, Qing Dynasty, Beijing, 2010, pl. 122.
Compare also a related white jade bowl and cover, Qianlong period, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2010, lot 3024.