A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER QUATREFOIL FOUR-TIERED BOX AND COVER

Details

A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER QUATREFOIL FOUR-TIERED BOX AND COVER
MING DYNASTY, LATE 15TH/16TH CENTURY

The lozenge-shaped cover deeply carved with a scholar seated by the window of a lakeside retreat, his attendant approaching from uphill, the background with a fisherman playing a flute on his sampan, with the moon and a flock of birds above, the sides of the cover and each tier with narrow bands of scrolling foliage, all raised on a slightly spreading foot with demi-florettes, the interior with black lacquer (some repairs)
5 7/8 in. (15 cm.) high

Lot Essay

The theme of scholars in pavilions was a popular one from as early as the Yuan dynasty. Compare the composition of the present box to that on a lobed oval dish from the Yuan dynasty, illustrated by Hu Shih-Chang and Jane Wilkinson, Chinese Lacquer, National Museums of Scotland Publishing, 1998, no. 11.

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