18th/19th century Naturalistically and skilfully modelled in the form of a recumbent magpie, with its legs tucked beneath its body, head facing forward and wings neatly clipped back, the plumage finely incised with its wings and tail feather, the box with a high oval inner lip, the stone of pale green tone with natural 'snowflake' veins and inclusions, stand. 17.8cm (7in) wide. (3).Footnotes十八/十九世紀 青白玉梅雀蓋盒 Provenance: An English private collection, London Sotheby's London, 13 May 2015, lot 322 A distinguished Asian private collection 來源： 英國倫敦私人舊藏 倫敦蘇富比，2015年6月13日，拍品編號322 亞洲顯赫私人收藏 Jade boxes carved in the form of animals and birds such as the present lot were used to store miniature works of art and were kept on tables or cabinets, where they could also be appreciated as works of art for scholars' studios. See a closely related pale green jade 'magpies' group, Qing dynasty, in the Qing Court collection, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Jadeware (II), Shanghai, 2008, no. 153; and another related pale green jade box and cover in the form of a quail, illustrated in ibid., no.195. 此式以動物為形的玉雕蓋盒設計巧思，一般作為陳設書房或供案的文房雅玩之器。北京故宮博物院藏一件清代青玉雙雀衘竹玉雕，見《故宮博物院藏文物珍品大系：玉器（下）》，上海，2008年，編號153。另見清宮舊藏一件青玉鴛鴦蓋盒，與本拍品設計靈感類似，見同著錄，編號195。