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Lot Essay
This rare box is part of a small group of imperial cloisonné enamel vessels decorated with the yin-yang symbol. Compare to a small mid-Ming dynasty covered box with a dominant yin-yang motif, formerly in Sir Harry Garner Collection, illustrated by Claudia Brown in Chinese Cloisonné - The Clague Collection, Phoenix Art Museum, 1980, pl. 6. A six-lobed dish dated to the early 17th century featuring the Bajixiang surrounding a yin-yang symbol on the interior is illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz, Chinese Cloisonné: The Pierre Uldry Collection, Asia Society Galleries, New York, 1989, no. 132.
The scrolling lotus is a conventional decorative motif found on Qing dynasty cloisonné enamel circular boxes. Two early Qing boxes of comparable size displaying this theme, dated to the second half of the 17th century, are illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz in Chinese Cloisonné, The Pierre Uldry Collection, 1989, pls. 190-191. A Qianlong-marked example with a spherical finial above a lotus-form platform on the cover is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum - Enamels (2) - Cloisonne in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, pl. 255.
Compare also to a Qianlong cloisonné enamel jar supported on three gilt ram-feet, decorated with peony blooms embracing yin-yang symbols, sold at Christie's London, 15 May 2012, lot 100.
The scrolling lotus is a conventional decorative motif found on Qing dynasty cloisonné enamel circular boxes. Two early Qing boxes of comparable size displaying this theme, dated to the second half of the 17th century, are illustrated by H. Brinker and A. Lutz in Chinese Cloisonné, The Pierre Uldry Collection, 1989, pls. 190-191. A Qianlong-marked example with a spherical finial above a lotus-form platform on the cover is illustrated in Compendium of Collections in the Palace Museum - Enamels (2) - Cloisonne in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Beijing, 2011, pl. 255.
Compare also to a Qianlong cloisonné enamel jar supported on three gilt ram-feet, decorated with peony blooms embracing yin-yang symbols, sold at Christie's London, 15 May 2012, lot 100.