CHINE, DYNASTIE QING, ÉPOQUE YONGZHENG-QIANLONG (1723-1795)

This rare box and cover, lavishly decorated, represents a quintessential example of Qing court lacquer made in imitation of Japanese maki-e. The cover is ornamented with the Eight Buddhist Emblems, the wheel, conch, parasol, canopy, lotus, vase, paired fish, and endless knot, while the sides are encircled by bats and longevity peaches, forming the auspicious theme of “abundant fortune and long life” (fu shou shuang quan). The decoration belongs to the technique known in China as shiwen miaojin (“raised designs picked out in gold”), corresponding to what is classified in Japan as takamaki-e. The process involves building up the motifs with lacquered ash to create a relief surface, then applying gold, gilt foil, and silver pigment. This method differs markedly from the “polished-out” technique of togidashi maki-e, in which the design is revealed only after repeated polishing.
As evidenced by extant examples in the Palace Museum, Qing-dynasty adaptations of foreign lacquer techniques drew broadly from both hiramaki-e and takamaki-e, yet the decorative themes, forms, and auspicious symbolism were thoroughly Sinicized. In the present example, the combination of the Eight Buddhist Emblems with bats and peaches, together with the opulent contrast of gold and silver against a black lacquer ground, reflects a distinctly imperial aesthetic. The box not only demonstrates the creative transformation of imported techniques by Qing artisans, but also stands as an important witness to eighteenth-century artistic exchange across East Asia and the synthesis of foreign craftsmanship with Chinese court taste.