In 1860, when the Second Opium War ended in the Qing-ruled China, in the Manchu-dominated nobility, a family commissioned two identical jewellery boxes.
Often associated with marriage or coming-of-age ceremonies, the jewellery boxes were designed for an assortment of bangles, hairpins, rings, necklaces and ornaments. The custom of rosewood jewellery boxes began in the Ming dynasty and continued in the Qing dynasty, often decorated with ornate mother of pearl of jade inlay.
These boxes were created using mortise and tenon techniques, with mirrors being incorporated in the late Qing rule. Rare as a pair, and with the origin of the boxes unknown, one can only guess. Nonetheless, they form the rarest curated collection, as old artefacts, that too, arriving in a perfect pair like a pair of Mandarin ducks, often symbolizing prosperity in Chinese tradition.
The inlay on the jewellery boxes was often craved with an intention: prosperity, harmony and blessings. With the onset of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, these jewellery boxes, with their ornate work and monetary value, were regarded as a symbol of the bourgeoise, and thus were often destroyed and discarded.
Today, they hold great cultural, historical and artisanal value. With their refined work made with the innermost layer of the oyster shell, these boxes were made with laborious detail and dedication.