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**AN ELABORATELY INLAID BLACK LACQUER RECTANGULAR CHEST WITH CLOISONNE ENAMEL MOUNTS

EARLY 18TH CENTURY

Details

**AN ELABORATELY INLAID BLACK LACQUER RECTANGULAR CHEST WITH CLOISONNE ENAMEL MOUNTS
Early 18th century
Inlaid in mother of pearl, stained ivory, coral, soapstone and jade, the hinged cover decorated with a formalized ruyi motif in the center and foliate spandrels at the corners, above a panel of bats and archaistic scrolls and a pair of doors decorated with two long-tailed birds standing on rocks beneath hydrangea branches, the interior fitted with five drawers variously decorated with flowering and fruiting branches, bats and a butterfly, with lotus sprays on the sides, all within gilt-painted borders, with a cloisonné enamel lock plate, hinges and pulls
9½in. (24cm.) high, 18½in. (47cm.) wide, 13½in. (24.5cm.) deep

Provenance

William Doyle Galleries, New York, 18 May 1988, lot 272, Estate of Helen C. Lainer.

Special notice

Notice Regarding the Sale of Material from Endangered Species. Prospective purchasers are advised that several countries prohibit the importation of property containing materials from endangered species, including but not limited to coral, ivory and tortoiseshell. Accordingly, prospective purchasers should familiarize themselves with relevant customs regulations prior to bidding if they intend to import this lot into another country

Lot Essay

The technique of decorating this chest, with precious materials inlaid in relief on the black lacquer surface, is known as Zhou zhi, or 'Zhou work.' It was supposedly invented by one Zhou Zhu in the late 16th century, with the first textural reference occuring in 1594. For a brief discussion of this technique, see Craig Clunas, Chinese Furniture, Victoria and Albert Museum, 1988, p. 93.

See a similarly inlaid book-shaped box with related decoration, The Palace Museum, ed., Art Treasures from Birthday Celebrations at the Qing Court, Hong Kong.

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