A Black Lacquer Painted 'Flower' Box and Cover 17th / 18th Century

of compressed globular form resting on a slightly tapered foot, finely painted in shades of red, silver and green with gold highlights on a black lacquer ground, the cover with a central peony flower centred with a wan symbol wreathed in foliate scrolls, surrounded by two varieties of lotus, a peony, a camellia, and a hibiscus among leafy sprays and four detached camellia sprays interspersed with interlinked buds around the bombé sides, the sides of the box similarly painted with four camellia divided by interlinked budding foliate sprays, each supporting a beribboned auspicious item including a double gourd, a flute and a pair of horns, all finely detailed and outlined with gold paint, the flanged rim picked out with a band of semi-'cash' diapers, between gilt double lines encircling the rim, raised top and foot, the interior and the base lacquered in red