A Large Carved Cinnabar Lacquer Box and Cover Qing Dynasty, 18th Century

of lobed form supported on a foot of conforming section, finely carved in varied reliefs through layers of rich cinnabar lacquer, the cover with a raised lobed medallion enclosing seven sages and attendants, five of them standing on a terrace in front of a pavilion either conversing or looking towards a rocky shore in the distance with two others walking on the banks of a stream, all surrounded within a key-fret border by a lush variety of plants and trees including bamboo, pine, lingzhi, iris and wutong, the sloping sides further carved on each lobe with a panel containing a bat suspending a spray of peaches above a blossoming lotus, with petal lappets above and key-fret on the rim, the box similarly decorated on each lobe with a panel of bat, lotus and key-fret at the foot and rim, the interior and the base covered with a lustrous black lacquer

Sotheby’s London, 10^th April 1973, lot 341.

There is an old 2.3 x 1.5 cm repaired chip to the rim of the cover at 6 o'clock with associated cracks to the black-lacquered interior and another 2 x 0.5 cm chip to the surface lacquer of the rim at 2 o'clock. There are further bruises to the cover rim at approx. 12 o'clock with some retouching to the lacquer, but overall the cover is in very good condition. There are several scattered surface chips to the lacquer around the footring of the box with red relacquering around the edges and at the joint with the sides. There are a few red stains on the base as well as small dents on the foliate edges on the interior rim or light retouching to flakes on the interior's black lacquer, but overall the box is also in good condition.
"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."

The present finely carved lacquer box and cover is impressive for its magnificent size and attractive multi-lobed shape. The shape is well known from Qianlong period painted lacquer boxes decorated with the dragon design, such as the example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, vol. 6, Fuzhou, 1993, pl. 138; and another with a matching dish, in the Museum of East Asian Art, Berlin, published in Regina Krahl, ‘Imperial Chinese Lacquer in Berlin’, Orientations, October, 2000, p. 89, fig. 12.

An eight-lobed carved cinnabar lacquer box, the cover decorated with a scene of scholars gathered in a garden setting, closely related to the subject matter seen here, was sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 27^th November 2007, lot 1796, but of much smaller dimensions; and another eight-lobed example, carved with figures in landscape, was sold in our New York rooms, 30^th March 2006, lot 83.  Five-lobed boxes may also be found decorated in a similar fashion, see one sold in our London rooms, 14^th May 2008, lot 521; and two, from the Qing court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pls. 7 and 8, the former carved with a scene depicting Wang Xizhi attending his beloved geese, and the latter with a scholar observing his attendants washing wutong trees.