A FINE PAIR OF WHITE JADE 'POMEGRANATE AND FINGER CITRON' BOXES AND COVERS18th century Crisply carved each with straight sides, the covers carved as a finger-citron and pomegranate respectively, issuing from gnarled branches with leaves, the stone of attractive even pale-white tone, fitted box. The largest, 7.5cm (3in) wide. (5). 十八世紀 白玉「石榴」及「佛手」式蓋盒 一組兩件 Provenance : Sotheby's New York, 18 September 2007, lot 187 An English private collection 來源 ：紐約蘇富比，2007年9月18日，拍品編號187 英国私人收藏 Notable for the even, semi-translucent tone of the jade and the technical precision in the carving of the two halves of the boxes fitting precisely, the present boxes display the highest standard achieved in jade carving during the eighteenth century. The carved decoration on the present boxes was designed to emphasise the quality of the stone, with the actual body left smooth and plain, and the covers decorated with designs of a pomegranate and a finger citron in shallow relief. The pomegranate is a familiar symbol of fertility, and together with the finger citron and the peach, it is one of the Three Abundances. The depiction of a pomegranate at the point of splitting open, as in the present lot, is described as liukai baizi (榴開百子), meaning 'pomegranate revealing one hundred sons'. The finger citron fruit is known as Buddha's hand because of the likeness drawn between the long tendrils and Buddha's fingers in typical hand gestures. pare with a similar white jade 'pomegranate' box and cover, 18th/19th century, which was sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 30 May 2022, lot 2918. A similar white jade 'finger citron' box and cover, 18th century, was sold at Christie's New York, 15 September 2017, lot 1023.