How the Qing dynasty’s imperial workshops turned the emperor’s visions into exquisite art

At first glance, the peach-shaped box with coral inlay appears to be carved from red lacquer. But the piece – made specifically to celebrate the birthday of the Yongzheng Emperor (1678-1735) – is, in fact, a gold-bodied box with a surface overlaid with red coral. Each fragment of the vivid gemstone is cut and set so precisely that the joins almost disappear, creating a shimmering mottled crimson skin. It is a deliberate exercise in restraint, executed entirely in one medium and, unusually for an...