Page 18 - Sotheby's London Important Chinese Art Nov. 2019

110

A WELL CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER
‘CHRYSANTHEMUM’ BOX AND COVER
QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD
the domed cover finely carved with three concentric
rows of petals radiating from a central flower head, each
petal containing intricately carved floral sprigs, the box
similarly rendered, the interiors and base lacquered black
(2)
Diameter 21.6 cm, 8¾ in.
PROVENANCE
Spink & Son Ltd., London (according to label).
This finely carved box belongs to a select group of lacquer
wares made during the Qianlong period, when the art
of lacquer carving attained unprecedented heights. The
tremendous skills of the craftsman is evident in the
well-proportioned shape and design of the box, which
closely resembles the autumn flower at full bloom. The
composition is dynamic and complex with an array of
delicate flowers issuing from leafy stems. The design
is intricate and filled with detail, the carving sharp and
precise, the overall impression highly dynamic and
naturalistic.
Compare this box in quality and design with a pair of
similar boxes, bearing six-character Qianlong marks and
named by inscription as yishou baohe (‘precious box of
longevity’), in the Shenyang Palace Museum, Shenyang,
illustrated in Shenyang gugong bowuyuan yuancang
cangpin daxi Qiqi juan, Shenyang, 2017, p. 80; another
box of this design in the Tianjin Art Museum, Tianjin, is
published in Zhongguo meishu fenlei quanji. Zhoongguo
qiqi quanji. 6. Qing, Fuzhou, 1993, pl. 220; a plain box in
the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Lacquerware
In The Collection of The Palace Museum. Classics of The
Forbidden City, Beijing, 2012, pl. 278.
£ 22,000-26,000
HK$ 215,000-254,000 US$ 27,500-32,500
清乾隆 剔紅花卉紋菊瓣式蓋盒

來源
Spink & Son Ltd.，倫敦（標簽）

16 Buyers are liable to pay both the hammer price (as estimated above) and the buyer’s premium together with any applicable taxes and Artist’s Resale Right (which will depend on the individual circumstances).
Refer to the Buying at Auction and VAT sections at the back of this catalogue for further information.