A large and well crafted Chinese Cultural Revolution period keepsake box, featuring a large shard remnant of blue and white Qing dynasty porcelain.
The porcelain is well made and would originally have been a large vase or jar, and preserves what would have been the central motif of auspicious double happiness characters.
During the Cultural Revolution (1960s to 70s), many antique collectors were forced to destroy their pieces or be deemed “bourgeois” and subject to severe punishment. The Hu family in Beijing, in order to preserve as much history as they could, would collect these shards and mount them in new settings such as this box. The metal is silver-plated copper, and the box itself is beautifully embossed around the entire border.
While smaller trinket boxes from this period can be found, this is one of the largest pieces we have come across. A lovely and highly meaningful piece, this would be ideal for treasured keepsakes. While the box is from the mid 20th century, as a symbol of individual determination to preserve China’s history and culture despite the Cultural Revolutionary ideals of the time make this a unique example of craftsmanship as well as antique porcelain.
