boite couverte en porcelaine polychrome Chine, dynastie Qing, début du XIXE siècle

commémorative, le couvercle à décor du profil de Charles IV d'Espagne, le pourtour lobé avec l'inscription "HISPAN ET IND" et une date, la base émaillée avec des armoieries couronnées entourées de deux colonnes; dans une boite circulaire en laque du Japon à décor en or takamakie sur fond nashiji du XVIII^{E siècle}

A flaw in the glaze beneath the base, original to the piece, and an iron spot inside, otherwise in good condition.
"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."

Similar boxes are illustrated in Francois Hervouet and Nicole Bruneau, La Porcelaine des Compagnies des Indes a Decor Occidental, Paris, 1986, p. 230, no. 109 ; in Jean McClure Mudge, Chinese Porcelain in North America, New York, 1986, p. 36, colour pl. 42; and in Arlene M. Palmer, A Winterthur Guide to Chinese Export Porcelain, New York, 1976, p. 87, fig. 51, where for comparison both sides of an 1807 Spanish trade dollar, the basic currency of the China trade, are illustrated with the author's comment that the irregularity of the inscription shows the Chinese painter's inability to comprehend what he copied. Boxes of this type bear a date which resembles 1802 more closely than 1805. The painter of the present box, who has reversed the direction of the final figure in the date, was probably not working from a different coin, but instead suffered from the same mis-conception of which Palmer refers to above.
Closely related boxes were sold in our New York rooms, 24^th January 1974, lot 36, 14^th October 1993, lot 221, and 15^th October 1993, lot 92.