Lot Essay
This box is similar in design and a smaller version of what are known as chun boxes. Instead of a the chun character, this design has a peach flanked by two boys. This type of decoration was first made during the Jiajing period (1522-1566) and later 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.