A fine white jade Mughal jarlet inlaid with rubies Qing Dynasty, 18th century

the translucent white stone carved with thin wall forming a globular vessel with a pair of acanthus leaf loop handles, the body decorated with sprays of five-petalled ruby flowers inset with gold wiring, all between interlinked ruby trefoils draping the shoulders and skirting the foot, the short neck collared by a band of three-petal florets , the shallow base carved with a poppy flowerhead

The overall condition is very good. All the stones are intact. The jade has 2 natural veins. A small frit on the rim has been polished down.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

It is rare to find Mughal inlay jarlets with such fine workmanship.  The setting of the present jar was done with a technique called "Gold Setting".  Small pits were carved into the stone and gold was first inlaid and the stones were inlay on top of the gold. A dish with similar floral inlays in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated in Exquisite Beauty - Islamic Jades, Taipei, 2007, cat.no. 83. 

The poppy on the base of the jarlet is one of the indigenous flowers of India and is still the country's national flower today.  The corolla of the poppy is often represented as having four delicate petals often overlapping with wide edges.  A similar foot can be seen on a bowl in ibid, cat.no 57.  The globular form is similar to a jarlet also in the National Palace Museum and illustrated in ibid, cat. no. 104, and another, carved with arrayed florets in low relief, from the Qing court collection, illustrated in Jadeware (III), The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 1995, no. 237, p. 285.  Compare a jade zhadou, inlaid with florets of diamonds, rubies and emeralds, sold in these rooms 18th May 1989, lot 677.