Page 132 - Sotheby's Speelman Collection Oct. 3, 2018

3430

A RARE EMBELLISHED GOLD 清乾隆 金嵌寶壽桃式蓋盒

‘PEACH’ BOX AND COVER
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG

PERIOD

superbly modelled with each half of the box and cover
forming a hollow peach meticulously joint together through
an interlocking mechanism between the gnarled branches,
each side of the exterior decorated with curling leafy stems
extending across the rounded body, centred in a large shou
medallion rendered in the repoussé technique and framed by a
floral bloom, two smaller peaches and a bat with outstretched
wings, the centre of the bloom embellished with pink garnet,
above a short key-fret band repeated along the rim
10.7 cm, 4⅛ in.

HK$ 1,000,000-1,200,000
US$ 128,000-153,000

The splendour of the Qianlong court is captured in this
exquisitely crafted box fashioned in the form of an auspicious
peach. The fruit of immortality in Daoism, two further peaches
made from semi-precious stone embellish each half of the
box, which ingeniously joins together through the gnarled
interlocking branches. The body of each section is decorated
with a large shou medallion using the repoussé technique and
is embellished with a bat to form the rebus ‘May you have both
blessings and longevity’ (fushou shuangquan). The auspicious
motifs combined with the precious materials and high level of
craftsmanship suggests this box may have been created for a
member of the imperial family on the occasion of a birthday.
The peach was one of the Qing Emperor’s favourite motifs
and it was thus used as a form for boxes made of various
materials; boxes also adorned with a shou character and bats
include a coral example, attributed to the Yongzheng period,
in the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, included in the
exhibition China. The Three Emperors, Royal Academy of Arts,
London, 2005, cat. no. 294; and an ivory version sold twice
in our London rooms, 18th November 1988, lot 829, and 7th
November 2007, lot 207. A silver filigree box in the Palace
Museum, Beijing, is published in Zhongguo jinyin boli falangqi
quanji [The complete collection of Chinese gold, silver, glass
and enamelled wares], vol. 3: Jinyin qi [Gold and silver wares],
Shijiazhuang, 2004, pl. 308.

130 SOTHEBY’S 蘇富比