Turquoise censer carved with dragons, China Qing period

The incense burner is carved from a block of Tibetan turquoise. The particularity of Tibetan turquoise is to present inclusions of other rocks and hollows. As we can see in the enlarged images, we can distinguish rare transparent crystalline inclusions, others white and a majority of inclusions of a brown rock with a granular but solid structure. I think that these inclusions are harder than turquoise herself which must have complicated the artist's work. In the 18th century it was the only turquoise used in China. A large bead of pure turquoise without any inclusions was worth a fortune. These tasks and especially the gaps have demotivated the Chinese, in fact we never know how the work will unfold and if in the end a gap will prevent the object from being completed. From the second half of the 19th century, following the arrival of Europeans, a homogeneous imported turquoise was used to manufacture, until today, a quantity of statuettes of little interest. Why did a notable Chinese Did he order this precious incense burner despite general disinterest? An artistic challenge? A fantasy of a silver scholar? Or for the symbolism linked to this stone. Was this incense burner used for ritual or magical purposes? Only a specialist would know how to answer. The stone is carved with the greatest care with a frieze of stylized dragons in relief, two heads of Buddhist lions with fierce but benevolent expressions form the handles, the handle of the lid is cut with rings cut from the mass, a no screw connects it to the cover. The finish is neat, we hardly see any traces of grinding.
The socket rings have gold powder over lacquer restorations. This essentially Japanese style of repair (Kinsugi), sublimating serious accidents instead of hiding them, was only practiced in Japan. This little incense burner must therefore, in its historical journey, have stayed in Japan. Unless it was made in China, the defects in the stone made it impossible to create the fine rings or made them too fragile.
This is an absolutely exceptional and rare object.
We don't know of any other.
Height:90mm Length:142mm Weight:570g
Good condition. Accidents to the restored Kinsugi rings.