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Lot Essay
The decoration on this rare tray is more usually found on Qianlong lacquer boxes of varying size, the large central chun (spring) character indicating that they were made for birthday celebrations or were commissioned by the Emperor to be given away on the occasion of a birthday. A gift of a pair of these boxes as well as a pair of the more rare trays with the chun design was presented to King George III by the Qianlong Emperor, following Lord Macartney's Embassy of 1792-4. Those boxes and trays are in the Royal Collection, and one of each is illustrated by J. Ayers in Chinese and Japanese Works of Art in the Collection of Her Majesty The Queen, vol. III, London, 2017, p. 849 (one of the boxes), and p. 855 ( one of the trays). The trays have not only the same decoration, but also the same combination of reign mark and inscription, Chunshou Baopan found on the boxes. One of the trays is also illustrated by Ming Wilson in 'Gifts from Emperor Qianlong to King George III', Arts of Asia, January-February 2017, p. 38, fig. 7 (upper left).
Other Qianlong lacquer boxes of this design include the example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 46 - Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 88, pl. 61; one from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Palace Lacquer Objects, Taipei, 1981, no. 67; one from the Avery Brundage Collection illustrated by Sir Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl. 148, fig. 90; and one from the Manno Art Museum sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 October 2002, lot 568 and again at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11 April 2008, lot 2863.
The design found on the Qianlong trays and the boxes is based on prototypes from the reign of the Ming dynasty Emperor, Jiajing(1522-1566). One in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 45 - Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 176, pl. 134; another in the Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated op. cit., Special Exhibition of Palace Lacquer Objects, no. 37. It appears that the Qianlong examples were specifically commissioned to emulate not only the design of the earlier Ming wares but also their quality and multi-colored palette.
Other Qianlong lacquer boxes of this design include the example in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 46 - Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 88, pl. 61; one from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, included in the Special Exhibition of Palace Lacquer Objects, Taipei, 1981, no. 67; one from the Avery Brundage Collection illustrated by Sir Harry Garner, Chinese Lacquer, London, 1979, pl. 148, fig. 90; and one from the Manno Art Museum sold at Christie's Hong Kong, 28 October 2002, lot 568 and again at Sotheby's Hong Kong, 11 April 2008, lot 2863.
The design found on the Qianlong trays and the boxes is based on prototypes from the reign of the Ming dynasty Emperor, Jiajing(1522-1566). One in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum - 45 - Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Hong Kong, 2006, p. 176, pl. 134; another in the Palace Museum, Taipei, is illustrated op. cit., Special Exhibition of Palace Lacquer Objects, no. 37. It appears that the Qianlong examples were specifically commissioned to emulate not only the design of the earlier Ming wares but also their quality and multi-colored palette.