A rare red and gilt-lacquer handwarmer, Qing dynasty, 18th / 19th century | 清十八 / 十九世紀 朱漆描金福壽雙全紋手爐

Handwarmers became popular in the late Ming dynasty, and were often made out of bronze by renowned craftsmen such as Hu Wening and Zhang Mingqi. Their designs were further developed at the Qing Court, where various new materials and techniques like painted enamel, bronze, gilt-bronze, and lacquer were incorporated. Due to the low temperature tolerance of lacquer, lacquer handwarmers are especially rare. Given the nature of the material and the absence of physical evidence of usage, Zhang Li from the Palace Museum, Beijing notes that lacquer handwarmers could have been made for display rather than utilitarian purposes (see Yongzheng: Qing Shizong wen wu da zhan / Harmony and integrity: the Yongzheng Emperor and his times, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2009, p. 274).

Compare three related lacquer handwarmers: one in the National Museum of Asian Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., (acc. no. S1987.403a-b), and two in the collection of the Palace Museum, Beijing, published in Zhongguo qiqi quanji, 6 ce: Qing / Lacquer Treasures from China, vol. 6: Qing dynasty, Fuzhou, 1993, pls 14 and 41.