QIANLONG PERIOD (1736-1795)

Bamboo veneer (zhu huang) pieces of this type, with fine intricate carving in shallow relief to create a two-color effect are very rare, and tend to be of Imperial quality. Boxes of different shapes and sizes carved in the same technique in the Qing Court Collection are illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 44 - Bamboo, Wood, Ivory and Rhinoceros Horn Carvings, Hong Kong, 2002, pp. 79-81, nos. 72-4. See, also, the small ruyi-shaped box illustrated by Simon Kwan, Ming and Qing Bamboo, University Museum and Art Gallery, The University of Hong Kong, 2000, p. 438, no. 146.