A RARE CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER BOAT-SHAPED INCENSE BOX QING DYNASTY, QIANLONG PERIOD |

carved in the form of a large elaborate boat, the curved bough carved on each side with four 'Buddhist Emblems', together comprising the bajixiang, admist lotus flowers and dense lotus scroll, the flat upper section mounted with two sections, one in the form of a room with sixteen doors skilfully carved in openwork treatment with fretwork-design, a double door on each side able to slide open, the back room of curved form following the shape of the boat, with a higher ceiling, a tall post fitted near the top with a guard post decorated with shou characters, and a gilt-bronze dragon headed 'pin', carved wood stand

Sotheby's Hong Kong, 27th April 2003, lot 289.

This rare lacquer boat is in very good condition with the exception of some small areas of lacquer repair (as illustrated with the boat facing left: three circa 1cm., wide areas of lacquer repair to the band on the middle deck section and one c. 2.5cm., repair to the band on the upper deck; the boat facing right, a 1cm area of repair to the top left side of the bow; a circa 1.5cm., repair to the top front ride side of the hull and to the band on the upper deck), loss of a complete section which would have stood on the front deck, repair to the lacquer at the base of mast, re-gluing of some of the balustrade sections of the wood stand and loss of one foot on the wood stand.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Revealing the Qianlong Emperor’s taste for opulence and his passion for unusual playthings, this exquisite lacquer model of a boat is remarkable for its intricate carving and playful moveable elements. Made in the form of an imperial boat, this piece required great technical skill, with components made separately before being pieced together. The skill of the carver is particularly evident in the making of the pierced doors, which are set between two parallel grooves and slide open to reveal the interior. Lacquer boxes in the shape of boats are unusual, although a very similar example, but with a roofed structure at the front, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, is illustrated in Gugong Bowuyuan cang diao qi [Carved lacquer in the collection of the Palace Museum], Beijing, 1985, pl. 362. See also a boat with an upper deck but no openwork sliding doors or mast, in the collection of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, Hangzhou, illustrated in Yang Zhishui, ‘Qi he de zaoxing, wenshi yu shiyong’ [The shape, décor and use of lacquer boxes], Wang Chunfa ed., Zhongguo Guojia Bowuguan guancang wenwu yanjiu congshu. Za xiang juan [Studies of the collections of the National Museum of China. Miscellaneous], Shanghai, 2018, pl. 19-2; a larger pair of boats sold in our New York rooms, 19th September 2001, lot 43; and another, carved with multiple drawers, sold in these rooms, 19th December 1980, lot 242.

The form of this boat recalls the magnificent touring boats used by the Qianlong Emperor during his inspection tours of southern China. The scroll painting The Qianlong Emperor's Southern Inspection Tour in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, painted by the court artist Xu Yang (active ca. 1750- after 1776) and dated in accordance with 1770, depicts the Emperor arriving in Suzhou on such a boat, see the Museum’s website, accession no. 1988.350a–d.