A RARE AND FINELY CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER BOX AND COVER MING DYNASTY, YONGLE PERIOD

the flat circular cover crisply carved through deep layers of brick-red lacquer and a thin layer of black near the base with a medallion enclosing a scholar on a terraced pavilion, seated at his table beside a lake with incense smoke issuing from a tripod censer and attended by three small boys, all amongst rockwork and trees and below ruyi-shaped clouds and a full moon reserved on diaper grounds, the straight sides with a meandering leafy composite floral scroll carved through to the yellow ground, the interior and base lacquered black

This finely carved box and cover are in good overall condition with the exception of the following small areas of restoration, repair and damage, including but not limited to: (top of cover) roof ends of right hand pagoda restored, the end of the lower branch above the two figures restored, a V-shaped (c.6 x 6 x 3cm.) section of the clouds at 1 o'clock restored, loss to the cranes left leg, two c.10cm. crescent-shaped hairline age cracks running from 12 and 1 o'clock to the edge of the pagoda roof, probable restoration or polishing to the rim; (side of cover) restored lotus stem at 7 o'clock, restored bud at 10 o'clock; (box) flange of box separated from body and restored, restored rim chips, restored chips to edge of base.
"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."

The present box is a fine example of the classic early fifteenth-century combination of meticulous carving and serene design. An illusion of receding ground is created through the overlapping of pictorial elements, while the intricate lines of the diaper grounds, skilfully rendered in varying textures to indicate the spaces of earth, water and air, enhance the smooth solidity of the scholars and their setting. The theme of scholars in a pavilion was popular on early Ming lacquer ware, and closely follow slightly earlier Chinese fan paintings, for example see a painting by Ma Lin (1194-1264) of the Yuan dynasty, 'Waiting for Guests by Lamplight', illustrated in Mary Tregear, Chinese Art, London, 1980, pl. 102.

A closely related box from the Freer Gallery of Art, Washington D. C., is illustrated in Derek Clifford, Chinese Carved Lacquer, London, 1992, pl. 33; another was included in the exhibition, Selection of Masterpieces from the Ringen Art Museum, Ringen Art Museum, Okayama, 1990, cat. no. 167; and several with Yongle marks from the Palace Museum, Beijing, are published in Carved Lacquer in the Palace Museum, Beijing, 1985, pls. 60, 63, 65-70. See similar examples with Yongle marks, such as one from the E. T. Chow collection, sold in our Hong Kong rooms, 3^rd May 1994, lot 279; another sold in these rooms, 2^nd July 1968, lot 66; and a third with a Xuande mark over an earlier Yongle mark sold in these rooms, 13^th December 1988, lot 36.