*A RETICULATED IVORY CALABASH-SHAPED PARFUMIER / LIDDED BOX China, Jiaqing, 18th-19th century Naturalistically carved as a double gourd with blossoming branches, entirely reticulated, made of two fitting parts, both of them engraved with an inscription to the inner rim. H: 6,6 cm Weight: 14 grams Notes: 1. This piece is a testimony of the craftsmanship of the Qing Dynasty ivory carving masters. At that time, small ivory boxes were made of organic shapes. 2. See, inter alia, an ivory reticulated parfumier shaped as a melon published in The Palace Museum Collection of Elite Carvings, Beijing, 2002, cat. no. 124. 3. For a related parfumier at auction, though a polychromed one, see Sotheby's Paris, 2012/12/18, lot 174, sold for €3.750. 4. Two related gourd-shaped parfumiers are illustrated in Spink & Son, Ltd., Ivories of China and the East, London, 1984, cat.nos. 228 ad 229. ** Please note that this lot contains ivory and is subject to CITES regulations when exporting outside of the EU. The United States Government has banned the import of ivory into the USA.** *网纹象牙葫芦形香水瓶/带盖盒 中国，嘉庆，18-19世纪