AN EXTREMELY RARE LARGE TURQUOISE-INLAID BAMBOO-VENEER BOX AND COVER QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD

the cover with a central medallion intricately carved with scholars and attendants in a landscape setting, the figures inlaid in turquoise, all within tiered radiating panels of lotus meander, each panel centred with a turquoise blossom, the box similarly decorated, the interior adorned with a xi-character medallion, encircled by gilt-decorated bats flying amidst clouds reserved on a black-lacquered ground

Collection of Mrs L. Dreyfus.
Spink & Son, London (according to label).
Collection of Dr. Ip Yee.
Sotheby's Hong Kong, 19^th November 1984, lot 109.

Loan Exhibition of the Arts of the Ch'ing Dynasty, Oriental Ceramic Society, London, 1964, cat. no. 461.

There are some expected chips and cracks possibly due to age, and the bamboo veneer on the base is peeling. The gilt decoration and black lacquer on the interior are well reserved.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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."

This box is notable for the intricately carved central scene and panels of scrolling tendrils and only one other example of this type, and possibly the companion to the present box, is known, sold at Christie's New York, 15^th September 2009, lot 228. Expertly crafted in bamboo-veneer (tiehuang), this technique was developed during the Qianlong reign and enabled craftsmen to break free from the confines of the circular shape of the bamboo stem to produce a broad range of objects of various shapes. The process involved taking the inner wall of the bamboo stem which is of a lighter yellow colouration and applying it over a wood core which is then left plain or carved in shallow relief to achieve an elaborate, often two-tone, effect.  

The original Gengzhi tu ('Illustrations of Ploughing and Weaving') was compiled by Lou Shou (1090-1162) during the Song dynasty (960-1279) depicting agricultural and sericultural scenes and was considered a reference to both practical farming and as a metaphor for a well-ordered Confucian society. It was first published around 1237 and contained 45 illustration accompanied by poems. Many subsequent emperors produced new editions of the illustrations, and the present scene draws from a series of paintings by the court painter Jiao Bingzhen created at the request of the Kangxi emperor in 1690.