A cinnabar carved lacquer chrysanthemum-shaped box and cover. Qing dynasty, 18th century
Carved in the form of a chrysanthemum blossom, the domed cover finely carved with four concentric rows of petals radiating from a central flower head, each petal containing intricately carved floral sprigs, the box similarly rendered, the interiors and base lacquered black. Small restoration and partial re-lacquering.
Height 12.5 cm; diameter 21.5 cm
This finely carved box belongs to a select group of lacquer wares made during the Qianlong period, when the art of lacquer carving attained unprecedented heights. The tremendous skill of the craftsman is evident in the well-proportioned shape and design of the box, which closely resembles the autumn flower at full bloom. The composition is dynamic and complex with an array of delicate flowers and leaves. The design is intricate and filled with detail, the carving sharp and precise.
Compare this box in quality and design with a pair of similar boxes, bearing six-character Qianlong marks and named by inscription as yishou baohe (‘precious box of longevity’), in the Shenyang Palace Museum, Shenyang, illustrated in Shenyang gugong bowuyuan yuancang cangpin daxi Qiqi juan, Shenyang, 2017, p. 80; another box of this design in the Tianjin Art Museum, Tianjin, is published in Zhongguo meishu fenlei quanji. Zhongguo qiqi quanji. vol. 6. Qing, Fuzhou 1993, pl. 220 and Zhongguo ciqi shoucang yu jianshang quanshu, vol. 2, Tianjin, p. 400, where it is dated to the mid-Qing period.
十八世紀 剔紅花卉紋菊瓣式蓋盒
來源：德國南部私人收藏，購於慕尼黑Bernheimer (據盒內標簽信息所述)
Provenance
Private collection, Southern Germany, acquired from Bernheimer, Munich, according to the round paper label inside the box