GILT QIANLONG SIX-CHARACTER MARK AND OF THE PERIOD (1736-1795)

The poetic inscription by the emperor himself (dated to 1774) bears testimony to the emperor's admiration and praise for the lacquer craftsmen of the period. It is a fifty-six gilt character poetic inscription written inside on the flat centre, which may be translated as follows: "The lacquer craftsmen of Wu-hsia are of a matchless skill and their imitations of ancient work can surpass even the original. For their forms they use neither wood nor tin, and the object is achieved without either engraved work or polishing. The works of the finest masters rival those of Hsieh Ch'ing, they have the colours of the immortals - such shades of vermilion and scarlet. In all things antiquity is the fitting model: here this dictum does not apply. My attempt at comprehending this work and singing its praises fills me with confusion.
Imperial brush of Ch'ien Lung, in the chia wu year".
A dish of this rare form is illustrated by Wang Shixiang in Zhonguo Meishu Quanji, vol.8 Lacquer, China, 1989, p. 176, no. 178.