SPINACH-GREEN JADE RECTANGULAR BOX AND COVER
QIANLONG MARK BUT 20TH CENTURY
二十世紀 乾隆款 碧玉長方蓋盒 後嵌西式金屬百寶鐘及收音機the box of plain form, inscribed on the base with a four-character Qianlong mark in a panel, later mounted and hinged cover with British/European style gold-tone metal inlaid with creamy-white and green beads, the interior with a clock and a radio
14.1cm wide x 5.1cm high x 9.4cm deep
The Estate of Sir John and Lady Clare Keswick at Portrack House, Dumfriesshire.Sir John Henry Keswick, KCMG (1906–1982) was an influential Scottish businessman in China and Hong Kong. He was the tai-pan of Jardine, Matheson & Co., the leading British trading firm in the Far East, and had established friendships with many Chinese politicians, including Zhou Enlai, Premier of the People's Republic of China, and Madame Soong Ching-ling, wife of Sun Yat-sen during his stay in China. He was also a representative of the Special Operations Executive, a British intelligence service during the Second World War. Sir John spoke fluent Chinese. He was a Chinese art collector, particularly contemporary paintings.He married Clare Mary Alice Cynthia Catherine Celia Elwes (1905–1998) in 1940 and had a child Margaret Keswick (1941–1995) who founded Maggie's Centres for those suffering from cancer.