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Lot Essay
The current Yuan lacquer tiered box with exquisite mother-of-pearl inlay represents the most impressive manifestation of Yuan dynasty lacquer art. The extraordinary delicacy and intricacy of the inlaid decoration, as well as the complexity and artistry of the overall design of the box, makes it a masterpiece of 14th century lacquer.
In 1970, a large fragment of mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer was excavated from the site of the Yuan dynasty capital Dadu in the west of Beijing. This fragment, possibly from the lid of a large box or a tray, depicts the Guanghan Palace (the Moon Palace, which was the abode of the moon goddess Chang'e), and the precision of shaping and laying the pieces as well as the use of colors and the fineness of the details incised into the tiny pieces of shell can still clearly be seen. The design on this fragment, like the scene on the cover of the present box, is very pictorial. In addition, mother-of-pearl lacquers decorated with pictorial scenes incorporating human figures appear to have been especially admired.
For further Yuan dynasty mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer examples sold at auction, see the octagonal mother-of-pearl lacquer box and cover inlaid with the maker’s name Liu Shaoxu sold at Important Chinese Lacquer from the Lee Family Collection, Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2009, lot 1823, and a quatrefoil box and cover with a signature of Hu Zhaogang sold at Important Chinese Lacquer from the Lee Family Collection Part III, Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2090. Also see another extremely rare octagonal box and cover, dated Yuan dynasty, sold in Christie's New York, 13 September 2019, lot 914.
In 1970, a large fragment of mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer was excavated from the site of the Yuan dynasty capital Dadu in the west of Beijing. This fragment, possibly from the lid of a large box or a tray, depicts the Guanghan Palace (the Moon Palace, which was the abode of the moon goddess Chang'e), and the precision of shaping and laying the pieces as well as the use of colors and the fineness of the details incised into the tiny pieces of shell can still clearly be seen. The design on this fragment, like the scene on the cover of the present box, is very pictorial. In addition, mother-of-pearl lacquers decorated with pictorial scenes incorporating human figures appear to have been especially admired.
For further Yuan dynasty mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer examples sold at auction, see the octagonal mother-of-pearl lacquer box and cover inlaid with the maker’s name Liu Shaoxu sold at Important Chinese Lacquer from the Lee Family Collection, Christie’s Hong Kong, 1 December 2009, lot 1823, and a quatrefoil box and cover with a signature of Hu Zhaogang sold at Important Chinese Lacquer from the Lee Family Collection Part III, Christie’s Hong Kong, 28 November 2012, lot 2090. Also see another extremely rare octagonal box and cover, dated Yuan dynasty, sold in Christie's New York, 13 September 2019, lot 914.