Page 147 - Bonhams Fine Chinese Art Nov 2013 Hong Kong

338 Compare a Yuan dynasty lacquer dish with similar ruyi-head decorations
An tixi guri lacquer octagonal box and cover and later gilt-decorated with a Qianlong four-character mark at the base,
Southern Song/Yuan dynasty in the Qing Court collection in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated
The exterior intricately carved through a thick layer of black and thinner in Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The Complete
inner layers of red, with tightly-arranged ruyi-head motifs. Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Hong Kong, 2006, pp.18-
18.7cm diam. (2). 19, no.12. Compare also another related black lacquer box and cover
HK$100,000 - 200,000 also with similar ruyi-head designs in the National Palace Museum,
US$13,000 - 26,000 Taipei, illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colours. Treasured
Lacquerware in the National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2007, p.19, no.4.
南宋/元 剔犀雕如意紋蓋盒

The auspicious ruyi-head motif first appeared towards the end of the
Southern Song dynasty, before becoming a popular decorative subject
during the Yuan dynasty. The classic design inspired Ming dynasty
lacquer-makers to a certain degree but artisans were pushing their
technical limits and focusing on achieving wider range of subject
matters, before finally becoming rejuvenated by a new sense of
admiration for the past in the Qing dynasty, particularly under the
influence of the Qianlong Emperor.

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