Page 107 - Fine Chinese Ceramics and Works of Art II
P. 107
2253 Compare the similar Qianlong-marked porcelain box bearing a Leshan Tang
A RARE ENAMELED BOOK-FORM BOX AND COVER mark, with similar gilt-decorated ‘brocade’ covers in the Palace Museum
18TH-19TH CENTURY collection, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the
Palace Museum - 39 - Porcelains with Cloisonne Enamel Decoration and
The box and cover are made in imitation of a stack of two books Famille Rose Decoration, Hong Kong, 1999, no. 147. The Palace Museum
bound in persimmon red and gold ‘brocade’, the smaller, which has box consists of a single book, as opposed to two books, as seen in the
a title slip, Leshan Tang (Hall of Delighting in Virtue), forms the present box. However, a pair of boxes very similar to the present box was
cover, ‘ivory clasps’ are molded on the sides, and the page ends are sold at Christie’s New York, 22 March 2012, lot 2129. Other Leshan Tang-
enameled in white and blue. The interior and base are covered in marked trompe-l’oeil porcelain book-form boxes have been sold, including
turquoise enamel. a famille rose example consisting of a stack of two books with pink and
5¿ in. (13.5 cm.) long, wood stand lilac-ground ‘brocade’ covers sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 30 May 2006,
lot 1235, and a faux bois box in the form of a single book sold at Christie’s
$20,000-30,000 London, 10 May 2011, lot 255.
The diverse color palette of enamels during the Qianlong period allowed 清十八/十九世紀 珊瑚紅地描金織錦紋書盒式蓋盒
for greater creativity and fexibility in painted decoration. Trompe-l’oeil
decoration transformed works into playful, if not deceiving objects,
transforming porcelain into seemingly rich brocade fabrics, beautifully
grained woods, and a variety of other materials.
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