J.J. Lally & Co., Oriental Art / New York City, New York

Compare the Qianlong imperial knife with jade handle and gold scabbard decorated with turquoise, coral and lazurite inlays in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated by Ho and Bronson, Splendors of China’s Forbidden City: The Glorious Reign of Emperor Qianlong, The Field Museum, Chicago, 2004, p. 201, no. 248, with the author’s comment: “The use of personal knives at meals was a mark of Manchu identity. When eating sacrificial pork, not only men but also women were expected to cut up their own meat.” A similar knife and scabbard suspended from an imperial court belt is illustrated in the same catalogue, op. cit., p. 59, fig. 52 and another is shown in a detail image from an official portrait of the Qianlong emperor in full regalia, op. cit., p. 59, fig. 53.

Ceremonial court belts of the Qing dynasty emperor with all suspended accessories including similar knives in fitted scabbards in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, are illustrated in Qing dai fushi zhanlan tulu (Catalogue of the Exhibition of Ch’ing Dynasty Costume Accessories), Taipei, 1986, pp. 114-115, nos. 32 and 33.