CIRCA 1808

The Spanish 8-real piece, a commonly used currency for all Western traders in China (hence "pieces of eight"), was fairly faithfully rendered by the Chinese potters here, down to the milling on its edges represented by tiny famille rose lappets, but its inscription CAROLUS IIII DEI GRATIA 1808 is garbled and King Charles appears a bit like a Roman lady. Similar boxes illustrated by Hervouet and Bruneau, op. cit., p. 230 from the Rijksmuseum and by Palmer, A Winterthur Guide to Chinese Export Porcelain, p. 87. as well as two previously sold at auction, all seem to be dated 1808, as this one is, but the spottiness of the blue on the final '8' has led to dating attributions varying from 1802 to 1807.