A fine Imperial Mughal-style white jade bowl, Qianlong Period (1736-1795). Photo Christie's Image Ltd 2014

The bowl is finely carved with deep rounded sides below a short everted rim and flanked by two bud-form handles, the exterior is carved in shallow relief with a band of upright acanthus leaves with four blossoming flowers, the short foot is formed by a large flower head to the base. The semi-translucent stone is of an attractive even 'mutton fat' white tone. 6 1/4 in. (15.8 cm.) across. Estimate HK$2,600,000 - HK$3,500,000 ($336,889 - $453,504). Price Realized HK$4,240,000 ($549,260)

Provenance: Sold at Christie's London, 10 May 2011, lot 21

Notes: This exquisite bowl, carved to remarkable thinness with a very fine polish, is an example of the very best jades made in the style of Mughal jade pieces which were greatly admired by the Qianlong Emperor.

It has been noted that when Emperor Qianlong married Xiang Fei, the daughter of a Uighur chieftain, in 1760, the union served to establish links between China and the West, and enabled a flow of beautiful jades to be sent to Court from the Xinjiang region. When the Qianlong Emperor's admiration for Mughal jades was known, foreign princes sent them as gifts, while Qing dynasty officials presented them as tribute. The Emperor displayed these jades in some of the most important palaces within the Forbidden City, such as the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and the Palace of Longevity. However, he was not only a passionate collector, he also enjoyed studying works of art and composed prose and poetry about them. The degree of his appreciation is reflected in more than fifty of his poems lauding the beauty of Mughal jades, which he described as 'thin as paper'.

Here, on the current bowl, the Chinese lapidaries were able to emulate their Indian counterparts extremely well, making something equally exquisite in workmanship, but when looking closely at the details, such as the acanthus leaves on the handles, and the floral motifs around the body, the true origin of this bowl is revealed.

For a Mughal prototype of bowls of this type, refer to a similarly constructed piece in the National Palace Museum, illustrated in Exquisite Beauty- Islamic Jades, Taipei, 2007, pl. 52.

Christie's. THROUGH CONNOISSEURS' EYES - WORKS OF ART FOR THE EMPEROR, 28 May 2014, Hong Kong - http://www.christies.com/