Page 207 - Sothebys Speelman Gems of Chinese Art

It is extremely rare to find early lacquer boxes of this form the central scene encircled by a scroll border, attributed to
and no other closely related example appears to have been the late thirteenth century, in the Cleveland Museum of Art,
published. Masterfully carved, it exemplifies the decorative Cleveland, from the Leonard C. Hanna, Jr Fund, inventory no.
arts of the Yuan dynasty which can be characterised by 2011.34. Compare also a quatre-lobed nine-tiered cinnabar
an emphasis on modelling and the complexity of surface lacquer box, offered in these rooms, 8th April 2007, lot 741;
decoration. The craftsman has cut deep into the numerous a six-tiered square box, in the Kaisendo Museum, Yamagata
layers of lacquer that have been built high on a yellow ground, Prefecture, included in the exhibition Carved Lacquer,
some of which is left exposed to provide an attractive contrast Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, and Nezu Institute of Fine
with the rich black lacquer which has been finished to a Arts, Tokyo, 1984, cat. no. 45; another sold twice at Christie’s
smooth sheen characteristic of the period. It represents the Hong Kong, 13th January 1987, lot 262, and 1st December
fully developed style of the Yuan period when carved lacquer 2009, lot 1816, from the Lee Family collection; and a circular
ware was typically produced in high relief and pictorial devices box attributed to the late Song or early Yuan period, included
such as foreshortening and overlapping were translated into in the exhibition Chinese Carved Lacquerworks of the Song
the language of relief carving. Fine incisions on leaves and Dynasty, Tokyo National Museum, Tokyo, 2004, cat. no. 34,
petals, to indicate veins, was also used as a technique to bring together with a square box illustrating a landscape scene, cat.
texture into the composition. no. 35. See also a large stationery box carved with a medley of
flowers and fruit in black lacquer against a red diaper ground,
The design of the present box is also notable. While the
sold in these rooms, 4th April 2012, lot 3139.
subject of two birds flying amidst flowers was a popular
motif on lacquer ware from the Song dynasty, the present Compare black lacquer dishes fashioned in a related style, but
box presents a rare variation of the motif. Instead of placing depicting the ‘two-bird’ design, such as two from the Florence
the birds opposite each other and surrounding them with an and Herbert Irving collection and now in the Metropolitan
abstract arrangement of blooming flower heads and leaves, Museum of Art, New York, displayed in the Museum’s
the present scene depicts lotus flowers and leaves and water exhibition East Asian Lacquer. The Florence and Herbert
weeds emerging from the bottom. They exhibit the same Irving Collection, 1991, cat. nos 18 and 20; one included in
style of depiction and movement as blue and white decorated the Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong exhibition 2000
porcelain wares of the period. Only one other lacquer dish with Years of Chinese Lacquer, Art Gallery, Chinese University of
a similar composition appears to have been published, now in Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 35; and another in the
the British Museum, London, illustrated in Sir Harry Garner, Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, published in Michael Knight, East
Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl. 44. Asian Lacquers in the Collection of the Seattle Art Museum,
Seattle, 1992, pl. 6. For a Song dynasty prototype, carved
Boxes of the Yuan dynasty that featured the more typical
with a simpler design and less overlapping elements, see one
‘two-bird’ design and floral bands on the sides were created
from the collections of Honganji temple, Kyoto, and Sakamoto
in a variety of forms, of which the present is a large example;
Goro, sold in these rooms, 8th October 2013, lot 151.
see a circular box of similar size and slightly domed form,

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