A CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER CIRCULAR BOX AND COVER 17TH CENTURY

of large circular form, the flat upper surface carved with a scholar seated under a large pine tree with a curved ruyi stalk in his hand, two assistants sitting nearby, one brewing tea, the other washing an inkstone, the landscape laden with jagged cliffs and rockwork, all against a diapered ground, the straight sides deftly carved through the rich cinnabar to the ochre ground with a composite floral scroll including prunus, chrysanthemum, peony and camellia blossoms, the box similarly carved with a leafy floral scroll, the interior and base lacquered black

2000 Years of Chinese Lacquer, Oriental Ceramic Society of Hong Kong and the Art Gallery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 1993, cat. no. 75.
Layered Beauty: The Baoyizhai Collection of Chinese Lacquer, Art Museum, Institute of Chinese Studies, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, 2010, cat. no. 49.

There are age cracks to the surface of the cover and box, minor scratches, bruising and general surface wear. Box: there is a narrow 12cm area of restoration and re-lacquering to a section of the interior foot, and there are also minor bruises and areas of retouching to the flange. Cover: There is a 3cm area where the design has been made up to cover an earlier loss, confined to an area of the mountain landscape at the 12 o clock position.
"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."

Finely carved with scholars in a landscape setting, this box is notable for the illusion of vast space which has been created through the overlapping mountains that appear to float and recede into the distance, a technique commonly employed in landscape painting. 

Compare a related box of smaller dimensions similarly depicting a scholar sitting leisurely in a garden, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in Anthology of Chinese Art. Ming Lacquer, vol. 5, Fuzhou, 1995, pl. 158. See also a dish carved with a scholar gazing into the distance from a pavilion, illustrated in Karamono. Imported Lacquerwork. Chinese, Korean and Ryukyuan, Tokugawa Art Museum, Nagoya, 1997, pl. 63; and a rectangular tray, decorated with scholars gathered in a garden, in the Palace Museum, Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties, Shanghai, 2006, pl. 193. For a prototype of this type of box see one, attributed to the Yongle period (1403-24), in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, published in Hai-wai yi-chen. Qiqi /Chinese Art in Overseas Collections. Lacquerware, National Palace Museum, Taipei, 1987, pl. 108.