A large cinnabar lacquer box and cover Qing Dynasty, 18th century

of compressed globular form, the cover carved with a scholar and his assistant crossing over a bridge to join another group of three scholars admiring an unrolled painting, while another scholar offers a peach to two attendants, all set in a lush garden landscape, the sides of the box and cover carved with the bajixiang (eight Buddhist emblems) alternating with the sanduo fruits of peach, pomegranate and finger citron (2)

Sotheby's New York, 21st November 1974, lot 389. 

The side of the cover has minor expected cracks and repainting. The underside of the cover with a 3 1/2 inch restored crack, inpainting visible, and with many smaller attendant cracks, some stretching almost across the cover. The underside with smaller age cracks and nibbles along the rim. Repainting of red along the rim. The box appears to have been relacquered to the interior and underside. Some shallow chips along the rim have been repainted. Minor cracks from the rim and at the foot.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Compare a similar box and cover with scholars and attendants in a landscape with sanduo fruit enclosed within panels alternating with bajixiang emblems on the side, sold in our London rooms, 24th February 1976, lot 74, and again 10th December 1980, lot 246. Also see a box and cover with scholars in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty: The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, vol. 46, no.37.