A rare carved cinnabar polychrome lacquer box and cover
Qianlong
Of circular form with flattened sides, the cover exquisitely carved in varying levels of relief through the red, yellow and green layers with a stylised evocative scene of Shoulao, a crane, a deer and a pine tree enclosed within a circular medallion inside a skilfully carved 'Chun' character, the 'strokes' of the character intricately incised with floral lozenges, the character flanked by a pair of soaring ruyi sceptres and above cloud scroll, all above ribbons of red, green and yellow issuing forth from a bowl teeming with auspicious emblems including wan symbols and a ruyi, set against an exquisitely rendered 'leiwen' ground, the whole scene set within a circular border surrounded by a narrow band of floral motifs within 'zig-zag' motifs, the sides of the cover and box carved with various luxuriant flowers against a leiwen ground, the base lacquered black.
13cm (5in) diam.
Of circular form with flattened sides, the cover exquisitely carved in varying levels of relief through the red, yellow and green layers with a stylised evocative scene of Shoulao, a crane, a deer and a pine tree enclosed within a circular medallion inside a skilfully carved 'Chun' character, the 'strokes' of the character intricately incised with floral lozenges, the character flanked by a pair of soaring ruyi sceptres and above cloud scroll, all above ribbons of red, green and yellow issuing forth from a bowl teeming with auspicious emblems including wan symbols and a ruyi, set against an exquisitely rendered 'leiwen' ground, the whole scene set within a circular border surrounded by a narrow band of floral motifs within 'zig-zag' motifs, the sides of the cover and box carved with various luxuriant flowers against a leiwen ground, the base lacquered black.
13cm (5in) diam.
Sold for
HK$ 576,000
inc. premium
Footnotes
- 清乾隆 剔彩春壽寶盒
Cinnabar lacquer boxes from the Qianlong period with curved circular sides are recorded in museum and private collections, but it is extremely rare to find a box with high flat sides as on the current example. It is exceptional for the depth and quality of the carving, and the extent to which the original polychromes are still present.
For a box with curved circular sides from the Qing court collection, see The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum: Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 61. For an example sold at auction, see the Qianlong marked box and cover, formerly in the Manno Art Museum, sold Christie's Hong Kong, 28 October 2002, lot 568, and again, Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11 April 2008, lot 2863.
Category: Asian Art / Chinese Works of Art
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