明宣德 剔紅「牡丹」圖圓蓋盒 《大明宣德年製》填金彩刻款

of circular form, the flat cover deftly carved through the rich cinnabar lacquer and a thin sandwiched layer of black to the ochre-yellow ground below with a lush peony flower, wreathed in dense curling foliage surrounded by two smaller blossoms and two tightly closed buds, the lush petals textured with fine incisions and the veined leaves furling within the thick border, the sides similarly carved with alternating peony, chrysanthemum and camellias wreathed in their corresponding leaves, the interior and recessed base lacquered in dark brown, the latter incised with a six-character gilt reign mark

There are some typical horizontal cracks on the base and the interior, and excpected small age crack across the side borders, some stabilized with light touch up, but overall the box and cover are 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."

This box is notable for its deep carving which skilfully reveals the yellow ochre ground, which adds a greater sense of three-dimensionality to the carving. A related box, but of smaller size, in the Carl Kempe collection, was included in the exhibition Chinesische Lackarbeiten, Linden Museum, Stuttgart, 1998, cat. no. 36; and another, but without a reign mark, was sold in our New York rooms, 30^th March 2006, lot 102.

 

Compare Yongle mark and period boxes of this type, such as one from the collection of H.M. King of Sweden, illustrated in Jan Wirgin, ‘Some Chinese Carved Lacquer of the Yuan and Ming Periods’, Bulletin of the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, no. 44, 1972, pl. 11, no. 14; and another from the Edward T. Chow collection, included in the exhibition One Man’s Taste. Treasures from the Lakeside Pavilion, Galleries of the Baur Collection, Geneva, 1988, cat. no. L11, and sold in these rooms, 3^rd May 1994, lot 278.