

Boxes of this type are rare, although a closely related example was offered in our London rooms, 17th December 1996, lot 207. See also a box of this impressive size, carved with a side-facing dragon amongst waves, from the collection of Dorothy and James E. Hahn, in the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, illustrated in The T.T. Tsui Galleries of Chinese Art, Toronto, 1996, pl. 126; another decorated with a dragon carrying an auspicious character, from the Qing Court collection and still in Beijing, illustrated in The Complete Collection of Treasures of the Palace Museum. Lacquer Wares of the Qing Dynasty, Hong Kong, 2006, pl. 13; and a third box, but of slightly larger size and lacking the key-fret border, sold in our New York rooms, 21st September 2006, lot 66.