Rare et élégante boîte en bronze doré et plaques de jadéite Dynastie Qing, XVIIIE-XIXE siècle | 清十八至十九世紀 鎏金銅嵌翠玉料石四方倭角蓋盒 | A paste embellished gilt-bronze and jadeite box, Qing Dynasty, 18th-19th century

One of the rarest and most valued materials used during the eighteenth century, jadeite became popular in China shortly after it was imported from Myanmar in the early Qing dynasty. Because of its physical qualities, with its soft translucency and luminous depth, jadeite suited the artistic and intellectual tastes of the court. The stone was assessed according to its purity and colour, as well as the sound it produced when struck.The superiority of the jadeite in the present box is displayed to its full splendour by leaving the polished surface undecorated, a practice which was reserved only for the highest quality stones. The brilliance of the green and smoky white tones are further accentuated by the contrasting tones and luminescence of the inlaid red and white glass paste, adding to the luxurious nature of the box.Jadeite vessels of this type are rare; for a cigarette case of even emerald green colour with a band of cabochon rubies near the top of the body, see one sold in our New York rooms, 18th April 1989, lot 242. Compare also a lapis lazuli and white jade embellished gold-mounted cosmetic box offered at Christie's Hong Kong, 3rd December 2008, lot 2258; and a larger silver jewellery box inlaid with silver filigree panels depicting squirrels and flowers and glass paste stones around the edges, included in the exhibition The Imperial Packing Art of the Qing Dynasty, The Palace Museum, Beijing, 1999, cat. no. 120.