of rectangular form on four applied gem-set cusped feet, the exterior set with rubies, emeralds, amethysts and sapphires against a ground of engraved floral motifs, the lid mounted with an openwork carved Chinese jade plaque - 8.9 by 10 by 8cm.

Note: The present casket, as with the previous lot, is a product of the Ottoman taste for Chinese artefacts, in this case, carved jade. The jade piece itself is worked in a manner that could potentially ascribe it to the Ming or Qing dynasty, and may have originally been presented as a diplomatic gift as suggested by the prominent position that it occupies on the box. The choice of a pale jade harks back to the preference of Chinese emperors for white jade. The casket itself was designed around this piece which was mounted into a petalled setting and further worked with a foliate trellis border, the sides engraved with floral designs on a punched ground and set with large gemstones. Stylistically, it is reminiscent of the reliquary containing the tooth of the Prophet (Dendan-i Saadet), which was made for Sultan Mehmed IV (r.1648-87), now in the Topkapi (Akşit 1986, p.175, no.5).   

Sotheby's. Arts of the Islamic World, London, 26 Apr 2017, 10:30 AM