A Rare Cinnabar and Black 'Guri' Lacquer Brush and Cover Ming Dynasty, 16th / 17th Century

elegantly shaped, the slender handle widening near the middle and tapering at the end, deeply carved through lustruous layers of black and red guri lacquer with undulating 'classic' scrolls, the layers of red lacquer appearing in three thin lines sandwiched between the black layers, the cap similarly decorated and terminating with a small waisted knob