A fine & rare Imperial jade hunting knife with jewelled & enamelled gold scabbard, Qianlong Period (1736-1795), the highly decorative gold scabbard set with diamonds and rubies to the collar, the gold inlaid with cobalt blue enamelling to depict Chinoiserie groups, some with auspicious objects, on a hand engraved ground, the slender steel blade adjoins the pale jade handle, with gold engraved ferule, the blade 11.5cm, total length with handle 20cm, the scabbard 15.5cm, 79g.

[A comparable example sold at Christies, 23 Mar 2023, lot 931].

Originally used as a hunting knife by the Manchus, this example is more likely to have been used for ceremonies by Qing Emperors or nobles, as illustrated in Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, Chicago, 2004, p. 201, no. 248. These decorative knives are known to have been worn suspended from a belt, as observed suspended from an imperial court belt is illustrated in the same publication on p59, also featuring in National Palace Museum, Taipei, and illustrated in the Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ch’ing Dynasty Costume Accessories, Taipei, 1986, pages 114-15.