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Lot Essay
It is rare to find lacquer wares with more than three colours. On the present pair of boxes, the figures, trees, rocks and buildings are carved from the uppermost layers of red and black lacquer, the water and some vegetation from the greenish-brown layer, and the air and earth are represented by two different diaper patterns carved from the two different colours of ochre lacquer. The classic use of different diaper patterns to represent water and air began in the Yuan dynasty, and here has been used to enliven and differentiate the textures of the air, water and ground.
It is also very rare to find lacquer boxes of this octalobed shape in four-colour lacquer carved with figural scenes. A pair of larger (42 cm. diam.) four-colour boxes of circular cushion shape carved with scenes of foreigners on the covers was sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2009, lot 591. Other boxes and covers of circular cushion form of comparable size, in red lacquer only, that are carved on the cover with figural scenes are illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 46 - Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pp. 10-11, pl. 6, with Qianlong mark, and pp. 56-57, pls. 37 and 38, dated middle Qing. Two Qianlong-marked boxes of lobed cushion form, with six rather than eight lobes, of slightly smaller size (29.6 cm. diam.), also in red lacquer and carved on the cover with a figural scene, are also illustrated, pp. 12-15, pls. 7 and 8.
It is also very rare to find lacquer boxes of this octalobed shape in four-colour lacquer carved with figural scenes. A pair of larger (42 cm. diam.) four-colour boxes of circular cushion shape carved with scenes of foreigners on the covers was sold at Christie's New York, 19 March 2009, lot 591. Other boxes and covers of circular cushion form of comparable size, in red lacquer only, that are carved on the cover with figural scenes are illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 46 - Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pp. 10-11, pl. 6, with Qianlong mark, and pp. 56-57, pls. 37 and 38, dated middle Qing. Two Qianlong-marked boxes of lobed cushion form, with six rather than eight lobes, of slightly smaller size (29.6 cm. diam.), also in red lacquer and carved on the cover with a figural scene, are also illustrated, pp. 12-15, pls. 7 and 8.