AN EXTREMELY RARE RECTANGULAR PARCEL-GILT BRONZE BOX AND COVER BY LU WEILIANG, LATE MING DYNASTY, 17TH CENTURY

of rectangular form, the top of the cover cast in low relief with a scene depicting an elephant, a horse and a dog frolicking in a pond, the waters rendered with swirls and accentuated in two corners with reeds and jagged rockwork, all enclosed within a slightly tapered thin band along the edge, the straight sides of the box decorated with low relief and completing the scenes on the straight sides of the box of corresponding form, one long side with a flying-fish dragon (feiyu) confronting a horselike creature, possibly a mythical celestial horse (tianma) or a seahorse (haima), the other long side with a mythical beast, possibly the Beast of the White Marsh (baize) or a suanni confronting two smaller animals, one short side with an elephant, the other with a 'Buddhist lion', all depicted in a setting of engulfing and tempestuous waves, all above a thin band along the edge of the box, the base centred with a three-character seal mark within a square reading Lu Weiliang, the relief details and bands along the edges intricately gilded, the overall surface a warm caramel-brown patina

Sydney L. Moss Ltd., London, 2001.

Paul Moss and Gerard Hawthorn, The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese Metalwork, Sydney Moss Ltd., London, 1991, cat. no. 101.
Philip K. Hu, Later Chinese Bronzes - The Saint Louis Art Museum and Robert Kresko Collections, St. Louis, 2008, cat. no. 10.

Good overall condition, with just typical surface wear and minute bruises to the fragile extremities, especially the corners of the underside. As visible in the catalogue photo, there is some rubbing to the gilding, but overall it is preserved well.
"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."

This exceptional box and cover is the only known example by Lu Weiliang. However, the high quality workmanship and precise texturing of the intricately cast depiction of the animals, probably influenced by paintings or woodblock prints is closely related to the decoration of chickens on a circular incense burner by another unrecorded metalworker, Lu Cizhou, sold in these rooms, 8th April 2014, lot 219, from the Water, Pine and Stone Retreat collection. The engraved zhuanshu mark on the base of the incense burner reads 'Made by Lu Cizhou of Wuxing', Wuxing being the central prefectural district of Huzhou in Zhejiang, a city famous for the manufacture of silk, ink brushes and other crafts.

This similarity of high-quality workmanship, combined with the coincidence of both metalworkers sharing the name Lu, suggests that they may have worked for the same family workshop. The metalwork also relates to that of Hu Wenming, a master bronze worker or workshop which operated in Songjiang in Jiangsu province. However, as Paul Moss and Gerard Hawthorn point out in their discussion of this box in The Second Bronze Age. Later Chinese Metalwork, Sydney Moss Ltd., London, 1991, pl. 101, the treatment of the animals on this early 17th century box differs markedly from those of the late 16th century by Hu Wenming, being later in date, less stylised and more naturalistic and robust, a sort of Song revival and reaction away from heavily stylised archaism, but with more influence from contemporaneous paintings.