A large black lacquer and gilt-painted coffer Ming Dynasty, Wanli Period

of rectangular form with deep sides boldly painted on each side in gilt with a pair of confronting dragons in pursuit of a flaming pearl, all reserved against a ground of clouds and flames, fitted with a hinged domed lid further painted with confronting dragons along the sides, the front set with a large baitong cloud-shaped lock-plate with an incised deer on the clasp, the narrow sides further set with a pair of baitong U-shaped swing handles, all resting upon a low platform base pierced with a pair of rectangular holes for use in transport, the interior lacquered in red

The position of the hinges and lock-plate have been switched, possibly to reduce the strain on the area where the hinges were placed. The area where the hinges and lock-plate once were have been filled and repaired. There is natural wear to the gilded areas and minor repairs to the minor chips along the edges. The metal fittings appear to all be original. The overall condition is very good.
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NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present lacquer coffer is a rare example of imperial furniture made during the Wanli period. The gold painted dragon motif is associated with the Emperor and suggests that this coffer was possibly made by artists working in the Imperial Furniture Workshop (Yu Yong Jian) to house the valuables of the emperor and his family. It was during the Wanli period that surface gold-painted lacquers of imperial quality were commissioned for the first time. The closest comparable example to this coffer is a pair of black lacquer chests similarly painted in gold with confronting dragons chasing a flaming pearl, from the Jaehne collection and now in the Newark Museum, New Jersey, illustrated in 'Chinese Art from the Newark Museum', China Institute in America, 1980, no. 25, p. 46. It is worth noting that these chests at one stage also had their tops reversed as can be seen on this coffer.

Compare also a black lacquered wooden chest decorated with dragons in gold, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Furniture of the Ming and Qing Dynasties (I), Hong Kong, 2002, pl. 190; and another black lacquered chest, similarly attributed to the Wanli period, decorated with a closely related dragon motif in mother-of-pearl inlay, ibid., pl. 192. See also a black and gilt lacquer square box and cover with a related dragon decoration sold at Christie's London, 5^th June 1995, lot 292.

Wang Shixiang in Connoisseurship of Chinese Furniture, vol. 1, Chicago, 1999, p. 14, notes that the great number of Wanli objects found in the royal collection compared with those of earlier reigns proves the court's great interest in lacquered furniture at this time. The Yu Yong Jian, located in the Imperial Palace, was in charge of making furniture for the Emperor and the imperial family. Liu Ruoyu, a eunuch in the palace during Wanli's reign, wrote about the production of the Yu Yong Jian in his account Zhuo zhong zhi (A Chronicle of Life in the Imperial Ming Household) in which he mentions that 'all imperial furniture such as hardwood beds, tables, cabinets... lacquer trays and boxes and others were all supplied by this organization (ibid., p. 16).