QIANLONG FOUR-CHARACTER MARK IN BLUE ENAMEL WITHIN A DOUBLE SQUARE AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The cover is delicately enamelled with geese and quails in a riverside scene, two geese depicted in flight with outstretched wings against a blue sky, above four others standing by the riverbank, opposite a pair of quails standing on a blue rock. The flowering plants, rocks and green grass are brilliantly enamelled in a variety of colours, all enclosed within an orange hatched border. The sides are enamelled with rectangular cartouches each enclosing a different floral scroll design. The central gilt-bronze section is cast with openwork peony motifs, all supported on eight ruyi feet. The interior is fitted with a conforming octagonal Duan ink stone with a small oval aperture, resting on a deep receptacle with a semi-circular oval dividing wall to hold water. The lower tier of the box contains a circular bronze handled tray designed to hold charcoal. The interior base is enamelled turquoise, and the exterior base is enamelled white with a four-character Qianlong mark in blue enamel.