18TH CENTURY

An inscription on the box reads: gu yu dao bing X jing pin ('ancient jade handle X great work'). Inscriptions inside the box state that the piece was acquired from Wang Wenxin in the third month of jiaxu year (1934).
Wang was a close friend of Xu's, and was the grandson of Wang Yangdu, a great collector of the Daoguang period (1821-1850).