QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Jades influenced by the Mughal style became popular under the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1736-1795). The skill of Indian lapidaries made a deep impression on the emperor during the mid-reign, elevating these fine and intricate jade pieces to equal, and sometimes even higher status than locally carved wares. At some time around 1760, a Palace workshop, known as the 'Tibetan Workshop', was established to carve such wares, and the style continued into the first half of the nineteenth century. Such wares are characterized by a unique hybrid style which incorporates complex Indian design and its preference for thinness and high polish into distinctive Chinese forms, as found in the present vase.