A CARVED CINNABAR LACQUER SEAL CHEST JIAJING MARK AND PERIOD

of rectangular section comprising five similarly carved panels: a removable front, three sides and a hinged cover, each depicting a foliate-shaped medallion enclosing a crane and a phoenix amidst wispy clouds centered on stylized shou character, the medallions set on a ground of flowering and fruiting branches of peach, prunus, lotus and peony, the cover with a rim carved with a band of prunus, pine and bamboo, the interior with six fitted drawers, arranged in three tiers, each fitted with lotus-form gilt copper escutcheons and pulls, the interior of the chest, drawers and flat recessed base lacquered brownish-black, the base incised with a gilt six-character reign mark

Collection of J.T. Tai.
Sotheby’s New York, 22nd March 2011, lot 228.

The chest has been sympathetically restored to conceal losses to the lacquer on all four corners and edges of the base; areas of loss and filled in parts to the front panel particularly to the lower left hand rim and upper left hand corner (the largest ca. 5cm). Further restoration to the breaks to all four corners of the cover where the wooden frame underneath the lacquer is joined and a ca. 4cm by 2.5cm. long piece broken out of the rear side of the cover where the later added hinge is fixed to the lacquer. The largest drawer on the inside is a later replacement. Further restoration and areas of repainting to the remaining five drawers. The gilt-metal pulls likely later replacements. The gilt-metal mounts and pulls on the front and side panels, and on the cover as well as the hinges may have been later added. The black lacquer has crackled consistent with its age.
"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."

Striking for the intricately carved decoration that extends over the entire broad surface, this box is notable for the perfectly composed and executed auspicious design. The Jiajing Emperor was obsessed with the magical practices performed by Daoist adepts in their quest for attaining fertility and immortality, thus imbuing all forms of art with Daoist themes. Amongst the various motifs found on this chest that allude to immortality are the lingzhi fungus, the shou character born from a ruyi-shaped cloud, the Three Friends of Winter and the double peach. The material itself was believed to have life-prolonging qualities, with lacquer vessels utilised for consuming food as early as the Song dynasty (960-1279).

 

A closely related Jiajing chest, similarly carved with confronting phoenix and crane, from the collection of Jean-Pierre Dubosc, was included in the exhibition Chinese Lacquer, Eskenazi, London, 1992, cat. no. 21. Chests of this form are also known carved on the central cartouche with various auspicious motifs; see one decorated with a group of cranes, in the Lee family collection, included in the exhibition Dragon and Phoenix. Chinese Lacquer Ware, The Museum of East Asian Art, Cologne, 1990, cat. no. 54, sold at Christie’s Hong Kong, 28^th November 2012, lot 2102; another, sold at Christie’s London, 1^st December 1997, lot 260; one decorated with dragons and cranes, 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. 189, together with a chest carved with a twisting pine forming a shou character and a dragon, pl. 112; and another in the collection of Fritz Low-Beer, exhibited in Im Zeichen des Drachen, Museum fur Lackkunst, Munchen, 2006, cat. no. 71. Compare also rectangular lacquer chests with a detachable front panel, similarly carved on each side with auspicious motifs enclosed in a lobed cartouche; such as one in the Palace Museum, Beijing, included in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum, op. cit., pl. 136; and a pair, from the H.R.H. Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, H.R.H. Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester and the Lee family collections, sold at Christie’s London, 8^th June 1987, lot 141, and again at Christie’s Hong Kong, 1^st December 2009, lot 1829.

 

Rectangular lacquer chests have a long history in China, and in the Ming dynasty were used to hold seals on scholar’s desks or cosmetics and other objects for personal adornment on ladies’ dressing tables. A rectangular chest modelled with a removable and slightly domed cover, was recovered from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, who lived circa AD 433, in Suixian, Leigudun, Hubei province. Chests of this form were also discovered in the Han dynasty (206 BC- AD 220) tomb of Lady Dai at Mawangdui, Hunan province, where they were used to hold clothes, food and cosmetics (see Sarah Handler, Austere Luminosity of Chinese Classical Furniture, Berkley, 2001, pp 241-242). Due to the laborious and time-consuming process of creating carved lacquer, large and exquisite pieces such as the present, were exclusively produced for the court.