A very rare imperial spinach green jade gilt-inscribed book cover


18th/19th centuryOf thin rectangular section, incised on the front with two dragons contending a flaming pearl and inscribed on the reverse with the four-character title, Side xulun, of the emperor's essay followed by the opening twenty-seven characters, one edge inscribed with the Chinese numeral yi (one), all filled with gold lacquer against the dark spinach-green ground. 7 5/8 x 4 1/2in (19.4 x 11.5cm)
|十八/十九世紀 碧玉刻「四得續論」冊面Provenance:Dr. Dean EdellSotheby's, Hong Kong, 14 November 1990, lot 469Published:Christopher Randall, The Brush & the Stone: Chinese Jades, Snuff Bottles and Works of Art from the Collection of Dr. Dean Edell, Hong Kong, 1998: No.8, pp. 13-14