An Imperial Cinnabar lacquer box and cover mark and period of Qianlong

the flat circular top finely carved with a scene of a scholar playing a qin on the back of a boat while his servant prepares him tea, set below swaying pine trees and amidst rustling water reeds, on the shore a woodcutter pauses on a rocky ledge near a waterfall and listens to the music, the sides of the cover and the box meticulously carved with a dense floret diaper ground, the base and interior lacquered in black, the interior cover inscribed in gilt gu qin baohe ('Playing the Qin, Precious Box') and the interior base with a six-character Qianlong mark

The Taiwan Antique Dealers' Association 2002 Exhibition, Chang Foundation, Taipei, cat. p. 99.

All of the rims have been retouched, the interior and base relacquered and the inscription regilded. There are a few minor chips to the edges of the rim, the largest 1.5cm on the cover, and a couple of the florets of the diaper have been restored. Otherwise, the carved decoration appears to be intact with possible minor retouching.
"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."

Inscriptions of this type, naming the motif depicted, are characteristic of imperial lacquer boxes of the Qianlong mark and period; compare for example, two boxes of lobed quatrefoil shape in the National Palace Museum, Taiwan included in the exhibition Gugong qiqi tezhan, Taipei, 1981, cat. no. 41 with the motif 'Asking the Boy' and cat. no. 42 with the motif 'Seeking for Poetry,' as well as a circular box, cat. no. 43, with the motif 'Washing the Paulownia Tree'.  A fourth example "Releasing the cranes," box is illustrated in Carving the Subtle Radiance of Colors, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 2008, cat. no. 117.  Another box in the Palace Museum, Beijing depicts Wang Xizhi feeding his geese, and entitled 'Old Sage', illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, Lacquer Ware of the Qing Dynasty, vol. 46, Hong Kong, 2006, no. 7.  See also a Qianlong mark and period lobed square box with the four-character phrase on the motif 'Inspecting the Prunus' that sold in our Hong Kong rooms 27th April 2003, lot 47.