177
A RARE WATCH-MOUNTED GILT-METAL GLASS CASCKET, China, Qing dynasty, 18th century
h cm 15 x l cm 12,5 x w cm 9,5
Rectangular in shape with rounded corners, it is supported by four feet in the form of eagle claws gripping a sphere. The box is finely chiseled and embossed with scrolls and leafy motifs, featuring unmistakable references to oriental taste, such as the four lotus flowers emerging from the red fired enamel at the four corners of the lid. The same flower is then repeated in each reserve that makes up the casket, within which are very thin sheets of sapphire-colored glass. The edge of the lid is adorned with alternating set sapphires and rubies, which enrich and embellish the object, harmonizing with the blue and red enamels present on the body of the box and the lid. The clock protrudes from the lid and is also surrounded by red enamel. Inside, there necessaire.
Catalog Notes:
The present casket is very similar to a group of caskets identified as Anglo-Chinese, including a pair of agate-mounted caskets (see David S. Howard, *A Tale of Three Cities, Canton, Shanghai & Hong Kong*, Sotheby's, London, 1997, cat. no. 307, p. 226) and a single casket in the collection of the Palace Museum in the Forbidden City (see *The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - Scientific and Technical Instruments of the Qing Dynasty*, vol. 52, p. 211, no. 186). It is likely that all these caskets were made in the last quarter of the 18th century. Considering that the taste in Europe at that time was for the neoclassical, the use of rococo and neoclassical motifs mixed with some Chinese decorations suggests that the caskets were probably made for the Chinese market and not for export to Europe, especially considering the similar style of the magnificent automaton clocks and objects, including the aforementioned casket, found in the Imperial Collection. Additionally, although these pieces are in the manner of James Cox (see Roger Smith, *James Cox (c.1723-1800): A Revised Biography*, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 142, No. 1167, June 2000, pp. 353-361), the quality and treatment of the materials do not seem to be English or European. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that these pieces were possibly made in China for the Chinese market, perhaps imitating some of Cox's finer pieces executed in agate, ormolu, and gold. See the casket sold by Sotheby's, S/O Saperstein, April 19, 2012, New York, lot no. 253. Also see Sotheby's, sale number N09207, Important European Decorative Arts, October 22, 2014, New York, lot no. 303.
清 十八世纪 罕见铜鎏金镶嵌钟表贡盒套装
类似记录：参见苏富比拍卖行出售的套装，S/O Saperstein，2012 年 4 月 19 日，纽约，拍品编号 253。另请参见苏富比拍卖行，拍卖编号 N09207，重要欧洲装饰艺术，2014 年 10 月 22 日，纽约，拍品编号 303。
清 十八世纪 罕见铜鎏金镶嵌钟表贡盒套装
类似记录：参见苏富比拍卖行出售的套装，S/O Saperstein，2012 年 4 月 19 日，纽约，拍品编号 253。另请参见苏富比拍卖行，拍卖编号 N09207，重要欧洲装饰艺术，2014 年 10 月 22 日，纽约，拍品编号 303。