QING DYNASTY, 18TH CENTURY

This box is similar in design to larger boxes known as chun boxes. Instead of the chun (spring) character, the top of the current box is carved with a peach flanked by two boys. This type of decoration was first made during the Jiajing period (1522-1566) and later revived during the Qianlong and Jiaqing periods. For a Jiajing example, see the box included in the Hong Kong O.C.S. exhibition, 2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Art Gallery, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 24 September - 21 November 1993, no. 61. A Qianlong version was included in the same exhibition, no. 76.