Qianlong mark and of the period|Made with a straight base and two long parallel sides that meet at a point at the top, one face carved with raised bosses enclosed within a border of C-scrolls and small bosses, the other face incised with two characters in archaic script reading ke gui, the characters repeated in regular script on one side, the other side carved with the six-character mark also in regular script. 5 1/4in (13.5cm) long|清乾隆 青白玉雕「殼圭」 《大清乾隆年製》款The Qianlong emperor was known for his love of archaism, and the Zhou Li (Rites of Zhou) mentions a type of jade tablet called the ke gui which was described as being carved on one face with a grain pattern, which is how bosses were referred to in ancient China. According to Una Pope-Hennessy in Early Chinese Jades, New York, 1923, p. 46, such tablets were given by the emperor to his bride. This ancient tablet is no doubt the inspiration for the present lot.