A RETICULATED JADE AND SILVER-MOUNTED JEWEL BOX SIGNED EDWARD I. FARMER CIRCA 1920S

the silver box of rectangular form, the four sides fitted with reticulated Ming Dynasty white jade belt plaques backed onto glass, the front panel containing a plaque with a man and a lion standing beneath a pine tree, the back panel containing a makara rising from the waves amidst swirling ruyi-head clouds, the side panels each with a dragon, the hinged cover inset with a pair of well-carved plaques containing sinuous four-clawed dragons on a dense foliate ground, one plaque with hibiscus and camellias, all inset into a sterling silver box with keyfret borders, and supported on four brocade ball feet formed by carved white jade beads from a Qing Dynasty court necklace, the underside signed 'Edward I. Farmer, New York, Sterling'

The overall condition is very good with only some minor chips to some of the openwork edges.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Ming Dynasty, probably Jiajing or Wanli period (16th / 17th Century), belt plaques of this superb quality, of fine white jade and carved in two reticulated layered depths, similarly decorated with dragons, Chinese characters or animals, are preserved in the Palace Museum, Beijing, from the Qing Court collection, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware, vol.2, Hong Kong, 1995, pls.165-169, 171 and 173. Compare also an almost identical belt-plaque with dragon and scrolling hibiscus, in the collection of the British Museum, illustrated by Jessica Rawson, Chinese Jade from the Neolithic to the Qing, London, 1995, p.327, fig.8; together with a related group of smaller plaques with pierced diaper grounds, ibid, pp.342-343, nos. 25:25-28.

Similar Ming belt plaques were also utilized for a partial-gilt Moghul-style jade pen-and-ink box, made for the Qianlong emperor, inscribed with one of his poems and dated in accordance with AD 1792, now in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan, see the Museum's Special Exhibition of Hindustan Jade in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1983, cat.no.64.

E.I. Farmer and his New York studio produced, through the 1920s to the 1940s, silver- and gilt-mounted table accessories, lamps and other fine metalwork, often embellished with complete carvings in coral, agate, jadeite and precious hardstones. In this instance, reputedly a private commission using jade taken off a box entering the US in the late nineteenth century, it appears that he was inspired by the fine quality of the white nephrite plaques, by setting it off superbly with masterfully tooled 18K gold mounts to form a box, derived from seventeeth century English casket forms, which remains one of the finest and most opulent Farmer pieces ever produced.

A sizeable group of Farmer works was included in the auction for the liquidation of the stock of Edward I. Farmer, Inc. by Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc., 16-19th April, 1947, sold to close his estate.  In the 917 lots offered for sale were many desk accessories and lamps 'skillfully contrived from seventeenth and eighteenth century porcelain and enamel vessels and semi-precious carvings,' notably his signature silver-mounted inkwells cleverly converted from jade bowls and Kangxi period 'beehive' waterpots.

A similar jade and gold-mounted box made from Ming jade belt plaques and 18K gold was sold in our New York rooms 23rd March 2004, lot 522.