Lot 3430. A rare embellished gold 'peach' box and cover, Qing dynasty, Qianlong period (1736-1795); 11.7 cm, 4 5/8  in. Estimate: 1,000,000-1,200,000 HKD. Lot sold 1,500,000 HKD (191,340 USD). Courtesy Sotheby's.

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.

Note: 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.

Sotheby's. Gems of Chinese Art – The Speelman Collection II, Hong Kong, 03 oct. 2018